Using Google Forms, one of the features of Google Docs, makes creating and administering surveys a snap. All the answers are compiled in either a Google Spreadsheet, or can be downloaded to Excel for further manipulation.
Here are a few things to think about when making surveys:
- Think about what data you'll get back from the students? Ask the right questions.
- Do you want quantitative or qualitative data? Both work equally well, but the latter takes a lot longer to evaluate.
- Make the surveys anonymous - it takes the pressure off of the students, and allows them to answer more honestly.
- Add a field to sort the students by, like period, or subject.
- Make certain questions mandatory - that way you know you get better data.
- When using the Grid question type, limit your rows to 10 - otherwise it takes up more than one screen, and the answer choices are difficult to reference.
- Use section headings and page breaks effectively - good ways to break up longer surveys.
- Don't forget the themes - makes the survey more interesting than a blank page background.
- When using the Scale question type, use catchy or funny Good/Bad statements - makes for a more engaging survey.
- Save often. Sometimes, depending on your connection, Forms has a tendency to stall, especially with large surveys.