How to Create an Online Student Survey

Online surveys provide educators with a mechanism to gain feedback from students on content, coursework and activities, in addition to ideas for future projects. Online surveys are available any time, which allows the student to log on at her convenience. Furthermore, participants in online forums can be more candid in their responses than they may exhibit in a group. Several online tools are currently available, such as SurveyMonkey and SurveyGizmo, which provide templates and features that allow non-programmers to develop their own surveys. Many online survey tools provide free basic accounts or discounted rates for educators.

Things You'll Need

• Online survey tool account

Instructions

1. Log onto your online survey tool account. Click the button "Create a New Survey." Type the title of your survey in the "Survey Title" field. Select a survey template or to create a blank survey, select the option "Start from a blank survey" and then select your design theme.

2. Click the link or button "Page Options" on the first page and type your instructions or welcome message for the survey.
   You may choose to type a title for the page such as "Welcome" or "Introduction" in the "Page Title" field to easily identify your survey pages.
   Click the "Save Settings" button.

3. Click the button "Add a question" and select the question type such as text, essay or multiple choice. Type your question in the "Question" field. If desired, click the box next to "Required question."
   For multiple-choice questions, type each option in the "Options" field as separate lines (press the "Return" key between options).
   Click the "Save" button.

4. Repeat Step 3 to add more questions.
   Click the "Add Page" button to insert a new page where you can repeat Steps 2 to 3 to continue building your survey.

5. Navigate to the last page of your survey, usually titled "Thank You/Redirect." Click the button "Add Text" and type your closing or thank-you message (questions requiring answers are not allowed on the last page of a survey). Click the "Save" button.

6. Click the "Preview" button or link to review your survey in a new window. Close the window when complete.
   If desired, you can edit your questions by navigating to that survey page and clicking the link for the question. Revise your question and options as necessary and click the "Save" button.

7. Click the "Launch" or "Publish" button when you are ready to launch the survey. Review the live survey information such as URL and security features. If available, you can send an e-mail directly from the survey tool, access the link for posting on your teacher website or class e-mail or write down the short link for students.

Tips & Warnings

• Explore the tutorials from the online survey tools to see advanced features and options such as creating multiple-choice questions. Check the report options for viewing responses--some online survey tools provide bar charts and pie charts of responses in addition to data spreadsheets.

• Be sure to preview your survey before launch to ensure that the flow is correct. Some online survey tools have a monthly limit of responses for each account level. Check your level of account to ensure that you can access all responses (you may pay a fee if you exceed your monthly response limit).