[Courses] True surveys

[ashleya2]

Challenge: Surveys still look like quizzes

In the current version of Canvas (December 2019), students have to click a button that says 'Submit Quiz' to submit a survey. Surveys also turn up in the Quiz area. It's possible to add a text instruction reassuring students that a survey is a survey, not a quiz, but because surveys are built on the Quizzes feature, the UI might cause confusion.

It also seems that the survey feature will not be included in New Quizzes, and may go away entirely in 2020 as a result. This timing might give Instructure an opportunity to redesign the survey function.

Idea: True surveys

Create a true survey function in Canvas, one which is distinctly a survey rather than a quiz, at least from the student's perspective. (For example, students would click 'Submit Survey' rather than 'Submit Quiz', and ideally not find the survey in the Quizzes area.)

Keep the survey function available after the switch from "Quizzes" to "New Quizzes".

Links

I have noticed these two related bits of information on the Canvas Community:

• This page says that the "New Quizzes" function will replace the classic Quiz function in 2020: What is New Quizzes? 
• This page says that surveys are not included in New Quizzes: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-12076-faq-new-quizzes#jive_content_id_Can_I_create_a_survey... 

They seem to imply that the existing survey functionality will go away.

Community members might also be interested in the following pages, which show how the survey is experienced like a quiz:

• The guide for using surveys as a student: How do I submit a survey? 

  

• The guide for creating surveys as an instructor: How do I create a survey in my course? 

Related ideas

This idea requests a survey function that will remain open as of 2020 and into the future, and which does not look like a Quiz to a student. Community members may also like to look at related ideas like:

• https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/8657-improve-anonymous-surveys-to-make-them-fully-anonymous 
• https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/15363-end-of-course-survey (A true survey function could be versatile enough to include end-of-course surveys.)
• https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/14510-mastery-paths-based-on-ungraded-surveys" modifiedtitle="....

[lshulman]

Seems to me, to make a "true survey" out of QuizzesNext, we just need to add an option to not have any "correct answer" indicated ("do not indicate correct/incorrect answers") - not as the results to display, but when creating the survey/quiz. In a true survey, there is no right or wrong answer. We are just looking for peoples' opinions. Not judging or assessing those opinions as "right" or "wrong".

Other than this issue, having just tried recreating one of my student surveys using QuizzesNext, everything else seems to work. Can indicate zero points per question as well as for the entire "quiz", can indicate to "not count toward grade" (for an "ungraded survey"), can select to display as "complete/incomplete" if all we want to know is which students have done it or not.

[ChristineMILLS]

I know Classic Quizzes are on the way out and New Quizzes don't seem to offer surveys, but can Instructure consider offering this tool in New Quizzes with the ability to view the data collected, like a true survey (eg. Survey Monkey or MS Forms).  Having unmarked surveys which provide informative data would not only support teaching and also students in their learning eg. part of the design process.

[maricanlas]

The fact that there will be no survey tool available after Classic Quizzes sunsets is highly concerning. Either this feature needs to be built into New Quizzes or there should be some other Canvas tool developed for true surveys. 

[padoughe]

Please please please Canvas, include an ungraded Survey option. Surveys are essential learning tools!

[mcmahon1]

I wish the survey feature could show students survey results (rather than what we have now, which is quizzes as surveys, which default to the first option as the correct choice). Would it be possible to create an actual survey feature, or else to allow the highest selection to show as the "correct" response?

[mcmahon1]

I love the idea of Canvas adding a true survey. I would use this all the time in my classes.  True compilation of survey data would be super helpful, as well as student access to survey insights. 

[bnash1]

True surveys would be an excellent addition! It would also help to allow instructors to make a survey anonymous if they wish. This is an excellent way for faculty members to collect candid comments from students (mid-term and/or end-of-term) to inform their iterative course improvements over time.

[ThomasDrieam]

A potential solution for those that have a Qualtrics license and are looking for true survey capability, our LTI allows you to embed a Qualtrics survey as an assignment in Canvas. It interacts with the Gradebook, SpeedGrader, and can offer full anonymity when needed.

I'm including a link to the relevant page in this community. Hope this helps!

Thomas

[james_whalley]

Since users are used to using Canvas' current Quizzes tool to create surveys and New Quizzes does not have survey functionality, why not keep Quizzes around and rebrand it for surveys. They can remove the options for Graded and Practice Quizzes and change the language to refer to surveys instead of quizzes.

At the bare-minimum, this could be used to bridge the time between the sunsetting of "Quizzes" and the development of a new survey tool (which could take a decade if Quizzes.Next New Quizzes is any indication).