Digital Toolbox: Surveys
At a Glance
Which tools to use?
- Canvas Surveys (Classic Quizzes or New Quizzes) allow you to create ungraded or graded surveys directly inside Canvas. Ungraded surveys are useful for collecting feedback anonymously or for simple opinion gathering.
- Microsoft Forms can be used to make simple surveys and self-graded quizzes, but by requesting help from the Service Desk, you can use Forms to automate things like:
- Approval processes with multiple steps and approvers
- Custom email notifications based on response criteria
- Qualtrics is a powerful survey platform with a wide variety of question types, email triggers, distribution options, and collaboration settings ideal for data collection and research projects.
- REDCap - Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) is a secure, web-based application for building and managing online surveys and databases for research applications. REDCap is ideal for projects collecting data in community settings and in multi-site projects such as clinical trials.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Canvas Surveys | Microsoft Forms | Qualtrics | REDCap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question type: Multiple choice | Yes (Classic) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Question type: File upload | No (workaround: external tools) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Display logic & branching | Limited (New Quizzes only) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Allows for anonymous responses | Partial (Hide student names) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in distribution via email | No (Canvas notification system only) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in distribution via SMS | No | No | No | No |
| Ability to track which individuals have responded | Yes (Canvas records submission) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Automated email reminders | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Other configurable email triggers | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Download raw response data | Yes (via Gradebook export) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automated accessibility/usability review | Yes (Canvas native accessibility checks) | No | Yes | No |
Question Type
| Question Types | Canvas Surveys | Microsoft Forms | Qualtrics | REDCap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Choice | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Text Entry | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rank Order | No (workaround with Likert scale) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Matrix Table | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Slider | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Side by Side | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Constant Sum | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Hot Spot | No | No | Yes | No |
| Graphic Slider | No | No | Yes | No |
| Drill Down | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Pick Group and Rank | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Heat Map | No | No | Yes | No |
| Net Promoter® Score | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Highlight | No | No | Yes | No |
| Signature | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Timing | No | No | Yes | No |
| File Upload | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Screen Capture | No | No | Yes | No |
| Captcha Verification | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Likert | Yes (Classic Likert Guide) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Branching | Partial (New Quizzes conditional) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Meta Info | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Distribution Option
| Distribution Option | Canvas Surveys | Microsoft Forms | Qualtrics | REDCap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Via Canvas inbox notifications | Yes | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Via email | No (external email tools required) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Via link | Yes (shareable Canvas link) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Via social media | No | No | Yes | No |
| Via SMS | No | No | No | No |
| Via QR code | No (Canvas doesn't generate QR; workaround external generator) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Allows anonymous submissions | Partial (Canvas will show "submitted" but not details) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ability to track individual respondents | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Set start and end dates for response collection | Yes (Availability dates) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Collaborative Option
| Collaborative Option | Canvas Surveys | Microsoft Forms | Qualtrics | REDCap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allows multiple collaborators | No (only course instructors) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Allows non-OHIO collaborators | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Allows OHIO collaborators | Yes (Instructors and TA's) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Configure whether an individual collaborator can activate/deactivate a survey | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Configure whether an individual collaborator can copy a survey project | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Configure whether an individual collaborator can distribute a survey | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Configure which survey data individual collaborators have access to | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Summary:
Use Canvas Surveys for quick classroom feedback, check-ins, or low-stakes course evaluation activities where you want easy access inside the LMS. Use Microsoft Forms for simple surveys outside Canvas. Use Qualtrics or REDCap for more complex research-grade survey needs with advanced logic, secure data collection, and sophisticated distribution.