Creative Ways Teachers Can Use Online Survey Software

Online survey software has played a role in the educational field for years. It’s used primarily as a research tool, where researchers at major universities use the software to run studies, and the school itself uses the service to find out more about their students. But within the educational field there is a group that rarely utilizes this type of technology: teachers. Part of the reason that teachers do not use surveys is because in the classroom, research is often unnecessary. Yet part of the problem is the idea that surveys are only research tools. There are actually many ways surveys can be beneficial for teachers, which we will see in this article.

Benefits of Online Surveys for Teachers

• Tests
  Surveys are essentially the same as tests. You ask a series of questions, you “collect” the answers, and you grade them accordingly. But some teachers like to mix things up. You can give your students online tests using online survey software, or have them take bonus quizzes at home for extra credit.
• Homework
  Similarly, the “dog ate my homework” lie doesn’t work if the student is asked to complete the homework online. You can verify not only that the student did their homework, but also that they turned it in that day instead of completing it in the morning or stealing it from another student before class.
• Questions/Feedback
  When students study at home, they often have questions, concerns, or problems that come up that you may need to address. But by the time they’re in class the next day, they’ve either forgotten or don’t want to bring it up. Online survey software can be used as a tool for teachers to collect questions and feedback from students before class starts the next day. You can then review the questions and see if there is anything worth addressing.

These strategies may be unconventional, and certainly there is going to be some feedback that is more emotional than valuable, but if you’re willing to accept both the good and the bad you may find that there is a great deal of insight that can be had from these online survey software methods.

If you’re ready to give online survey software a try, or want to learn more about what types of additional features and options there are for teachers and researchers, make sure you contact SurveyMethods today. Sign up with SurveyMethods to get started.

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