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Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology, Vol. 2, No. 1, June 2013, pp. 66 - 68.  

Anonymous online student surveys anywhere 
 

Vicky J. Meretsky 
 
Keywords: assessment, CATs, knowledge survey, opinions, student-centered teaching 
 
Framework 
 
Anonymous surveys can be a valuable tool to gather information from students regarding their 
perceptions of their own learning styles and progress, of an instructor’s teaching styles, 
assignments, tests, and of other aspects of the learning environment. Some course-management 
software systems provide a built-in capacity to administer an anonymous survey, but not all do, 
and not all instructors have access to course management software. In addition, students may not 
always trust the anonymity of one module of a software system whose other modules are 
explicitly not anonymous. 
 Free online surveys are available through several providers including (in early 2013) 
SurveyMonkey, KwikSurveys, QuestionPro, and others. Instructors from anywhere in the world 
can access the services. Surveys are easy to construct and a survey-specific URL makes them 
available to students for any desired period of time. Results of multiple-choice questions can be 
summarized and answers to essay questions can be collected within the software. Survey results 
can be used to promote reflection by students and instructors, monitor student progress, and fine-
tune teaching approaches. 
  
Making it Work 
 
Because instructors have no means to compel students to take anonymous online surveys or 
confirm that students have taken them, these surveys are best used in a support role, rather than 
as a required activity. Surveys targeted to assess specific assignments, events, etc., can be time-
limited, but surveys could also be used to provide a means of general, anonymous feedback 
throughout the semester. 
 Online sites that provide free surveys tend to permit a wide variety of question types, 
including single-answer multiple choice, multiple-answer multiple choice, essay questions, 
ranking, ratings, and matrixes. Fixed answers, such as in multiple-choice questions, are easier to 
summarize, but essay questions permit more thoughtful responses. Templates may be available, 
with standard questions for various uses, including university instructor evaluations. 
 I find it very helpful to quickly distribute a short, targeted survey to sample student 
reactions to a new teaching approach or an activity based on difficult subject. The kind of 
information I elicit in a targeted survey is different from the on-the-fly, in-class classroom 
assessment techniques (CATs; Angelo & Cross, 1993) such as asking students to list the most 
difficult or least clear concept in a given class period. I try to keep targeted surveys short (5-6 
questions). I begin with a multiple-choice question or two, such as a Likert scale (strongly 
disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, strongly agree, don’t know) question, because students can 
answer those quickly, and generally do so. If they choose not to take the time to answer a later 
essay question, I at least have their answer to the summary question. For an end-of-semester 
survey to supplement the required survey at my institution, I often use slightly longer (6-10 
question) surveys that combine focused (Was homework feedback sufficiently timely and 



Meretsky, V. J. 

Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology, Vol. 2, No. 1, June 2013. 
jotlt.indiana.edu  

67 

detailed?) and completely open questions (Please add any other comments you like). Instructors 
who have not previously written survey questions may want to consult some basic reference 
material on survey design but I find my information needs are usually fairly clear-cut, which 
simplifies question construction. Anonymous surveys can also be used for pre-post learning 
assessments as one measure of learning outcomes.  
 Some sites (e.g., SurveyMonkey, QuestionPro) limit the number of questions or the 
number of survey respondents in their free services, others (e.g., KwikSurveys) do not. Some 
providers also have commercial versions with increased support and services, as well as more 
flexible downloading options. Advanced analyses of survey results require transferring survey 
results to another platform such as a spreadsheet or statistical package, and free services vary in 
the ease with which large or complex response sets can be downloaded. 
 For surveys that may be pilots for larger studies, designers might use the freeware version 
from a supplier that also offers commercial support; if the pilot study evolves into a larger 
project, the commercial support may be welcome. Indiana University presently supports 
discounted prices on several levels of annual Survey Monkey subscriptions for instructors on all 
its campuses, and other universities may also support such services. 
 
Future Implications 
 
Metacognition – the practice of reflective learning – is encouraged both in students and in 
instructors (Brookfield, 1995, 2006; Schön, 1987). Anonymous surveys provide us with the 
means to do both simultaneously: to learn about how our teaching is perceived, while asking to 
students to reflect on their learning.  
 I have rarely had all students in a class respond to either targeted or end-of-semester 
summary surveys, but I generally get answers from well over half my students (graduate and 
undergraduate, class sizes of 25-50) and from a range of levels of progress and satisfaction. 
Students often provide thoughtful and well-reasoned critiques that give me an opportunity to 
consider aspects of the course through the lens of their experiences.  
 If I receive conflicting responses on a question, I may take the issue back into the 
classroom to explore it further. Giving students the opportunity to understand that they are not 
uniform in their responses can help to defuse frustration or stronger emotions. Evidence of 
diversity in student responses reminds students that the instructor’s goal must be to support all 
class members in their learning and that they, the students, are all part of each other’s learning 
environments. Clickers and other instant-feedback devices could also supply this kind of range-
of-reaction information, but they are not in wide use, whereas online surveys are freely available 
wherever Internet access is available. 
 As we strive to become more intentional and transparent in our teaching–clearly 
enumerating desired learning outcomes and linking activities and assignments to those 
outcomes–quick, anonymous online surveys are a useful source of evidence to support teaching 
decisions. In contrast to quick classroom assessment techniques, anonymous online surveys are 
well suited to address aspects of a course beyond basic comprehension of content. They give 
students more time for thought, but still can provide instructors with student feedback in a time-
frame of days: much closer to the same-day or same-week response of classroom assessment 
techniques than the after-the-semester response of institutional course evaluations. To give 
closure to students, instructors should, in turn, give students feedback on what they learned from 
surveys and how or whether they will act on information (Angelo & Cross, 1993). Closing the 



Meretsky, V. J. 

Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology, Vol. 2, No. 1, June 2013. 
jotlt.indiana.edu  

68 

loop with students is easier to do with surveys that are taken during the course when 
conversation with students is still straightforward, but instructors may be able to provide 
feedback on end-of-course survey results by email, if desired. 
 Online survey results are a good way to demonstrate reflective teaching and teaching that 
promotes reflective learning. Results of these quick, shorter surveys can be used in teaching 
portfolios and can be a foundation or stepping-stone for scholarship of teaching and learning. 
Anonymous online surveys are quick to create, easy to administer, and easy to archive. They 
produce useful results that can promote better, evidence-informed teaching and better learning.  
 

References 
 
Angelo, T.A., & Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for college 
teachers. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 
 
Brookfield, S.D. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco, CA: Jossey 
Bass. 
 
Brookfield, S.D. (2006). The skillful teacher. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. 
 
Schön, D.A. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 
 


