Building anonymous surveys for formative feedback

One of the key aspects of colleting formative feedback is that the respondents are confident their responses are anonymous. Specifically, when it comes to classroom mid-semester feedback, it is imperative that students understand their comments cannot be traced back to their identity (and cannot negatively impact their course grade). 

Three examples of platforms you can use to build your mid-semester feedback survey include:

• Qualtrics 
  • MSU users have access to Qualtrics with their MSU netID and password. You can see the basics for building a Qualtrics survey here.
• Google Forms
  • Similarly to Qualtrics, MSU users can log in to Google Drive with their MSU email and passwords. Please make sure you are logged in to Drive in this manner, not with your personal Gmail, prior to building a form for class. For a step by step for setting up an anonymous Google form, visit this webapge. 
• D2L
  • Desire2Learn (D2L) is also accessible to MSU instructors as MSU's Learning Management System. Did you know you can build a survey right in D2L? For step-by-step instructions, check out this article. 

Regardless of the platform you use to build your mid-semester feedback survey, it is recommended you include a statement similar to the following at the start: 
Mid-semester feedback is a way your instructor can collect information about your learning experience and how the course design impacts your experience. This survey is your opportunity to share insights about class so your instructor can make decisions on how to proceed with the rest of this semester. This is an anonymous survey. Your identity will not be shared with anyone and will in no way impact your grade in the course. Your feedback is valued and appreciated.