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Manual: Survey & Question Pool for Surveys

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Manual: Survey & Question Pool for Surveys
Surveys can be created and conducted with or without a question pool. Question pools are therefore not mandatory, but allow you to create questions outside of a survey and then use them in independently in multiple surveys.
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1. Create a survey

Before you create a survey, you should think carefully about where you create it. You can create public surveys in the iTools Survey Station (www.itools.unibe.ch) that can also be filled out by people who do not have an ILIAS account. If you have an ILIAS course or group, you can create closed surveys that only course or group members can access.

The graphic on the right will help you decide which location is suitable for your survey.

Once you have identified the right place for your survey, you can start setting it up. 
Click on «Add Object».
Select «Survey».
Give the survey a «Title».
Keep the «Default» type. The survey is not suitable for 360° feedback. If you want to conduct self-evaluations, use the «Self-evaluation» (see Item description and Manual: Self-evaluation).
Click on «Add Survey».
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2. Create a question pool for surveys

Click on «Add Object».
Select «Question Pool Survey».
Give the pool a «Title».
Click on «Add Question Pool Survey».
This way of creating a question pool is especially suitable for creating questions in advance (e.g., as a team). However, you can also create a survey first and, when creating a question in this survey, specify that a new question pool should be created for this question (see 4.1 Create questions). Mit dieser Variante umgehen Sie die separate manuelle Erstellung des Fragenpools.
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3. Adjust settings

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General settings

The setting options of a question pool for surveys are very limited and are not listed separately here. Instead, we focus on the setting options for the survey and point out what applies to the question pool as well.
Go to the «Settings» tab.
Choose whether or not to use question pools for the survey:
  • «Questions can be added optionally to a question pool»: You can add questions from existing question pools to the survey and also save questions created in the survey to a question pool.
  • «Questions are created directly in the survey.»: You cannot add questions from existing question pools, and you can only manually save questions created in the survey to a question pool after the fact.
In order to complete the survey or use the question pool, the «Online» option has to be checked.
A survey can only be set «Online» schalten when at least one question has been created (see 4.1 Create questions).
You can set the time period in which the survey can be accessed. The survey is automatically «Offline» outside this period even if the «Online» option is checked. 
Under «Tile Image» you can upload a tile image for the survey (see also Manual: Tile design). 
When inserting images, please follow the recommended image sizes (see Notes on image sizes on ILIAS).
You can add a text that the survey participants can read before starting the survey.
You can specify a time period during which the survey can be completed. Outside of this period, no questions can be viewed or answered.
If checked, access codes will be generated to give participants access to the survey (see 3.2 Create & use access codes).
Use the «Authentication by Access Codes» option if you want to send ILIAS emails (e.g., invitations or reminders) to users who do not have an ILIAS login (e.g., external users).
Decide whether or not to display question titles when participants take the surveys.
If checked, participants can view their own responses online or have them emailed to themselves after completing the survey.
You can compose a text that the respondents can read at the end of the survey.
With the «Remind Users to Participate» you can have automated reminders sent to participants.
This option can only be used if your survey is in a course or group. Alternatively, you can work with access codes and manually send reminders (see 3.2 Create & use access codes).
Choose whether and how participants should be able to view the survey results.
Choose whether you want to conduct the survey personalized or anonymously.
  • «With Names»: The names of the participants are listed in the results.
  • «Without Names / Anonymous Survey»: The names of the participants are replaced by nondescript codes.
Note that public surveys in the iTools must be set to the privacy setting «Without Names / Anonymous Survey».
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Create & use access codes

Access codes are especially suitable for public surveys. With the help of access codes, you can make surveys accessible to a particular group of people, even if these people do not have an ILIAS account. This way, each person can only access the survey with an access code and, therefore, only take the survey once.
You can create access codes manually or by importing user data. In addition, you can send access codes & reminders via email to the participants through the survey.
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Create access codes manually
In the «Participants» tab, go to the «Access Codes» sub-tab.
The «Access Codes» sub-tab only appears if you have checked the «Authentication by Access Codes» (see 3.1 General settings).
Choose which default language the survey buttons appear in once participants have clicked the survey link. If you are conducting a survey in English, we recommend selecting «English» as the survey language so that the interface appears in English.
Enter the number of access codes to be created and click «Create».
To be able to send the access codes via ILIAS (see Send access codes & reminders via ILIAS), you have to enter the contact details of your participants. 
Click «Save».
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Create access codes by importing user data
In the «Participants» tab, go to the «Access Codes» sub-tab.
The «Access Codes» sub-tab only appears if you have checked the «Authentication by Access Codes» (see 3.1 General settings).
Import the user data.
«Import user data from a file»: This option requires a .csv file with at least one column «email». Additionally, «Survey Access Code» can be listed if you want to create them yourself. Select your file and click «Import». 
«Import user data from a text»: Delete everything in the input mask except the first line with «email;firstname;lastname». Now insert all email addresses, first names, and last names of your participants according to the template (columns have to be separated with semicolons, e.g., ralfkoenig@domain.tld;Ralf;König). One line per participant. Click on «Import».
Choose which default language the survey buttons appear in once participants have clicked the survey link. If you are conducting a survey in English, we recommend selecting «English» as the survey language so that the interface appears in English.
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Send access codes & reminders via ILIAS
In the «Participants» tab, go to the «Mail access codes or messages» sub-tab.
The «Mail access codes or messages» sub-tab sub-tab only appears if you have entered or imported at least one email address in the «Access Codes» sub-tab (see Create access codes manually or Create access codes by importing user data).
Change the «Subject» if necessary.
Select the «Recipients».
Compose your message.
Please ensure your message always contains the two placeholders [code ] and [url]. Otherwise, your participants will not receive the correct and personalized link to your survey.
If checked, ILIAS will save the message for future use. Saved messages are listed for selection in the «Available messages» dropdown menu. 
Click «Send».
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4. Create, insert & edit questions

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Create questions

You can create questions directly in your survey or in the question pool.
Go to the «Questions» tab. If you create the question directly in the survey, go to the «List View» sub-tab.
You can also use the «Page View» in the survey to create questions. You can see all questions directly on the page in a preview and thus easily place multiple questions on one page.
The «List View» has the advantage of showing an overview of all questions, allowing you to change the order of multiple questions quickly, and the process is identical to the question pool.
Select the preferred question type from the drop-down menu (see 4.2 Question types).
Click on «Create Question».
If you have selected the option «Questions can be added optionally to a question pool» (see 3.1 General settings), you will be asked to specify if and to which question pool the new question should be added.
If you have selected the option «Questions can be added optionally to a question pool» (see 3.1 General settings), you can add a question from existing question pools to your survey. Click on «Add from Pool». Select the question you want to add and click «Insert».
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Question types

There are a total of five different question types to choose from: Single Choice, Multiple Choice, Matrix Question, Metric Question and Essay Question.
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Single Choice & Multiple Choice Question
The «Single Choice Question» is used for offering multiple answer options from which one can be selected. You can use it for rating purposes, for example. The «Multiple Choice Question» is used for offering multiple answer options from which one or more can be selected.
Give the question a «Title».
We recommend you use the title with regard to the analysis. Abbreviations are often used for this purpose. Depending on your preferences, you can disable the display of question titles for the survey participants in the «Settings» tab of the survey.
Enter your question text.
If checked, participants cannot navigate to the next question or complete the survey without answering this question.
If you make the question compulsory, we recommend providing an option for a neutral answer, such as «don't know».
Choose whether to display the answer options vertically, horizontally, or for single choice questions, as a combobox (drop-down menu).
For multiple choice questions, you can choose to set a minimum and/or maximum of answer options that can be selected.
Enter your answer options.
If checked, a text box will be added to the answer option.
The «Scale» value is used in the export file (see 7. View & manage results as an index for the answer option and in the routing rules as a value (see 5. Add routing rules (filter questions))).
The actions buttons can be used to add, remove and move answer options up and down.
Click «Save» or «Save and Return».
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Matrix Question
The «Matrix Question» is a somewhat particular question type: It groups several questions into one, and only makes sense if several questions can be answered or scored with the same rating. The matrix question is displayed as a table with several columns and rows.
Give the question a «Title».
We recommend you use the title with regard to the analysis. Abbreviations are often used for this purpose. Depending on your preferences, you can disable the display of question titles for the survey participants in the «Settings» tab of the survey.
Enter your question text.
If checked, participants cannot navigate to the next question or complete the survey without answering this question.
If you make the question compulsory, we recommend providing an option for a neutral answer, such as «don't know».
Select a subtype:
  • «Option Buttons (Single Response)»: Participants can select only one column per row.
  • «Check Boxes (Multiple Response)»: Participants can select one or more columns per row.
Select whether lines should be displayed in the matrix as visual separators.
Enter your column texts.
The «Scale» value is used in the export file (see 7. View & manage results as an index for the answer option and in the routing rules as a value (see 5. Add routing rules (filter questions))).
The actions buttons can be used to add, remove and move column texts up and down.
You can label the matrix with two poles. If you leave the fields blank, no poles will be displayed in the matrix.
Enter the texts for your matrix rows.
If checked, a text box will be added to the matrix row.
The actions buttons can be used to add, remove and move row texts up and down.
Click «Save» or «Save and Return».
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Metric Question
The «Metric Question» is useful when the answer to the question is a metric (e.g., income, height, number of hours taught, etc.).
Give the question a «Title».
We recommend you use the title with regard to the analysis. Abbreviations are often used for this purpose. Depending on your preferences, you can disable the display of question titles for the survey participants in the «Settings» tab of the survey.
Enter your question text.
If checked, participants cannot navigate to the next question or complete the survey without answering this question.
If you make the question compulsory, we recommend providing an option for a neutral answer, such as «don't know».
Select a subtype and enter the minimum and maximum value as a whole number for each.
Click «Save» or «Save and Return».
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Essay Question
Mit «Freitext eingeben» geben Sie den Teilnehmenden die Möglichkeit, längere Freitext-Antworten zu formulieren.
Give the question a «Title».
We recommend you use the title with regard to the analysis. Abbreviations are often used for this purpose. Depending on your preferences, you can disable the display of question titles for the survey participants in the «Settings» tab of the survey.
Enter your question text.
If checked, participants cannot navigate to the next question or complete the survey without answering this question.
You can limit the answers to a maximum number of characters.
Enter the width and height (number of lines) for the default display of the answer text box. 
The text box size can be adjusted as needed by the participants when filling out the survey.
Click «Save» or «Save and Return».
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Add questions from a question pool

If you have created your questions in a question pool, you can add them to your survey. Ensure that the question pool is «Online» and that you have admin rights for this question pool. You also have to have selected the option «Questions can be added optionally to a question pool» in the survey settings (see 3.1 General settings).
Go to the «Questions» tab.
Click on «Add from Pool».
All questions from all available question pools will be displayed. If necessary, you can use the filter to find specific questions.
Select the questions you want to add and click «Insert».
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Edit existing questions

You can edit questions in a survey and the question pool only if there is no data (results) yet in the survey where this question is used.
Go to the «Questions» tab. If you create the question directly in the survey, go to the «List View» sub-tab.
Open the question's actions menu.
Select «Edit».
Edit your question as desired and click «Save», «Save and Return», or «Save and Sync Question Copies».
In the question pool, the options «Save» and «Save and Return» apply the changes only to the question pool. With the «Save and Sync Question Copies» option, you can decide which survey the adjustments should also be applied to. If you edit a question in a survey that was inserted from a question pool into this survey, you can choose whether the changes should also be applied in the source pool.
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Change the order of the questions

Go to the «List View» in the «Questions» tab.
Enter the desired order of the questions and/or question blocks in the «Sort Order» column.
Click «Save Compulsory States and Order».
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Move questions & define question blocks

By default, when you create survey questions in list view, each of these questions will be displayed on a separate page. However, you can also create question blocks to display multiple questions on one page. To do this, you can move questions to other pages as needed. To move consecutive questions to the previous or next page, it is best to use the page view (see Move a question to the previous or next page). If necessary, you can also change the order of the questions in advance (see 4.5 Change the order of the questions). To combine questions that are further apart into one question block, it is best to use the list view (see Combine more dispersed questions into a question block). 
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Move a question to the previous or next page
If you want to move a question to the previous or next page, go to the «Page View» in the «Questions» tab.
Click on the existing question.
If there is an existing page to which the question can be moved, you can select «Move to Previous Page» or «Move to Next Page».
If the page to which the question is to be moved does not yet exist, select «Split Page».
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Combine more dispersed questions into a question block
To combine questions that are further apart into one question block, go o the «List View» in the «Questions» tab.
Select the questions you want to combine.
In the drop-down menu, select the «Define Question Block» option.
Click «Execute».
Give the question block a title and select the display options.
Hiding question texts can be useful if you want to include several questions with identical question texts in one question block.
Click «Save».
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Show & hide question & page headers

The ILIAS survey offers two different types of headings that you can use to introduce questions: Page headers and Question headers.
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Page headers
If you have placed several questions on one page (see 4.6 Move questions & define question blocks), this page will have a header that you can show or hide.
Go to the «Page View» in the «Questions» tab.
At the top, you will see the block title of the current page and its visibility status.
To change the visibility status, click on the title and then «Edit».
Check or uncheck the «Show Block Title» option.
Click «Save».
The page header cannot be formatted.
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Question headers
You can place additional information above a question, e.g., longer texts or images.
Go to the «Page View» in the «Questions» tab.
Click on the question and then on «Add Heading».
Enter your information using the editor and format it as desired.
Click «Save».
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Move existing questions to a question pool

You can move questions that you have created and saved directly in the survey to a question pool at any time.
Go to the «List View» in the «Questions» tab.
In the «Question Pool» column, you can see whether a question is already assigned to a question pool and, if so, which one. A question can only be assigned to one question pool
To undo this assignment, you can delete the question from the respective question pool and subsequently add it to another question pool.
Select the question(s) you want to move to a question pool.
Select the «Add to question pool» from the drop-down menu and confirm with «Execute».
All available question pools are listed in the drop-down menu. Select the question pool you want and click «Submit».
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5. Add routing rules (filter questions)

In a survey, you can decide when a particular question should and should not be asked to the participants. You do this by selecting one or more questions and adding a routing rule. 
We recommend that you create all questions first and set the routing rules at the end.
Go to the «Routing» tab.
In the «Existing Routing Rules» column, you can see which rules exist for which questions. You can edit or delete these rules.
Select the question to which you want to add a rule.
Click «Add Routing Rule».
Select under which circumstances the selected question should be displayed.
  • if each constraint is fulfilled
  • if one constraint is fulfilled
Select the preceding question to which the constraint refers.
No routing rule can be set on the first question because it is not preceded by any questions.
Specify in the form of a mathematical relation which values are to be taken into account in the routing rule
Determine which answer determines routing.
Click «Continue».
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6. Do a test run

To avoid having to delete your test data each time you do test runs, the survey has a «Preview» function in the «Questions» tab, which allows you to run through the survey without saving any data.
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7. View & manage results

The survey offers the possibility to view, export & print results. In addition, you can Delete participant records. 
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View, export & print results
Go to the «Results» tab. Here you have three options:
«Overview»: Shows the data as cumulative results (sorted by question, without graphs).
«Details»: Shows the data sorted by questions and with graphs.
«Per Participant»: Shows the data sorted by participants and without graphs.
You can export the data as an Excel or CSV file.
For data analysis with external statistics programs, we recommend using the export options under the «Per Participant» option.
For open answers, the entire answer text is exported. For long text responses, you should export the data as a CSV file, since an Excel export may not include all text.
You can generate a print version.
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Delete participant records
You can delete records of participants who have already completed your survey. This allows you to edit your questions  (see 4.4 Edit existing questions) and is useful if you have only filled out the survey yourself or had others fill it out for testing purposes.
Go to the «Participants» tab. Here you have two options to delete data:
You can delete records of individual participants by selecting them one by one and then clicking «Remove Participant». 
You can delete all participant records by clicking «Remove all Participants».
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8. Application scenarios

The following pages will give you an idea of how a survey and question pool for surveys can be used:

Zuletzt geändert: 29. Okt 2024, 14:49, Thiel, Anja [a.thiel5]