Creating a Survey with Google Docs

Google Docs has many capabilities.  I am going to explore one of its lesser known ones and that is creating a survey!

This feature is quick, easy and very user-friendly!

Tutorial

(The teacher and student tutorials are basically the same since I teach high school students.  Please see the additions for the student audience in green below.)

Assuming you already have a Google Docs account…Log onto it!  (click here if you don’t have GmailJ)

 

Google Docs will automatically prompt you to enter your first survey question!!  It looks just like this:

You have many options of ways your respondents can answer the questions…

·         Text answers – Respondents Enter a Single Word Answer

·         Paragraph Text – Respondents answer with a sentence or sentences

·         Multiple Choice – Respondents Choose one answer from a list of given choices

·         Checkboxes – Respondents choose from a list of given choices with check boxes (may choose more than one)

·         List – Respondents choose one answer from a drop-down list

·         Scale – Respondents rate their answer on a scale (determined by survey maker)

·         Grid – Similar to scale only scale numbers are displayed test

You can also decide if the questions are required or not and then choose a background theme to personalize your survey!

Once the survey is complete, save it and Google Docs will provide you a link that you can embed anywhere to notify your recipients – on a blog, in an email, on a website, etc.

You can decide who you want to be able to access your survey and how!

Click here to take the survey I created as an example for this blog:

Once the surveys are taken, Google Docs automatically tallies your responses in a spreadsheet where you can create charts and pie graphs that are perfect for presentations, teacher meetings or easy data comparisons. 

 

Teachers could use this survey feature for a quick survey when:

• Gathering information for the upcoming in-service
• Polling students about their interest for an upcoming project
• Getting feedback on an event or presentation

Students could use this survey feature for a quick survey when:

• Collecting data for a project for statistics class
• Polling fellow classmates for interest surrounding an upcoming school event
• Voting for Prom/Homecoming court