Want to Build a Survey in Blackboard?
Much like tests/quizzes, surveys can be created and administered in Blackboard. The key differences between tests and surveys is that surveys are automatically set to be anonymous and there are no correct answers. Use the training steps provided to guide your survey creation process.
Step 1- Access the Tests, Surveys, and Pools tool:
Login to the course at
In the navigation menu, expand the Control Panel and choose Course Tools, then scroll down.
Click on Tests, Surveys, and Pools.
Step 2- Choose Surveys:
Note: There are differences in how tests/quizzes, surveys, and pools are used. While the creation step for the individual questions is the same for tests, surveys, and pools, it is important to understand the differences to choose how best to proceed.
Choosing the Surveys option will provide you two options, Build Survey and Import Survey. Importing a survey in Blackboard is reserved for when you have a specially formatted file such as one obtained from
a publisher or created through Respondus Test Builder. A normal PDF or Word document
will not correctly upload to properly create a survey.
To build a survey directly in Blackboard, click Build Survey.
The survey directions and instructions are optional, but the survey must be named.
Click Submit when you are finished to open the Survey Canvas and create the survey contents.
Step 3- Create Your Questions:
A Survey Canvas page will open with options to Create Question, Reuse Question, or Upload Question. Click the Create Question button opening a dropdown menu of question types.
Select the question type you want to create. There are many questions types you can choose. If you have questions about how to
set up a particular type of question, please email us: OIR@wichita.edu. This training will go over the most common types of questions: Multiple Choice,
True/False, Fill-in-the-blank, and essay/short answer.
Under the question heading, Enter an optional Question Title. Then Enter the question text into the Text box.
Adjust the question Options in the Options section. You can change how the answer choices appear (numbers, letters, vertically, or horizontally); if learners are able to receive partial credit (mostly for multiple answer question types); and choose for answer options to be displayed in a random order.
Note: If you choose for answers to display in a random order, please ensure that the answer options do not include order-dependent choices, such as "Both A and B," "Both A and C,"...etc. as these may lead to confusion for students.
Next input the Answer options. Each answer option should be entered into it's own text box. Blackboard will default to provide 4 answer text boxes. You can change the Number of Answers to increase the answer options, or you can use the Remove button to subtract the number of possible answers.
Please note: surveys are not designed to have correct and incorrect answers because they are asking opinion based questions and are designed to be anonymous.
Select Cancel, Submit and Create Another, or Submit. If you use the Submit and Create Another option, Blackboard will open a clean creation
page of the same type you have just saved. To create a different type of question
or if you do not want to create any additional questions, click Submit and proceed to next steps.
Under the question heading, Enter an optional Question Title. Then Enter the question text into the Text box.
Under the Options section, you can change answer orientation display between vertical
and horizontal using the dropdown arrow.
Please note: surveys are not designed to have correct and incorrect answers because
they are asking opinion based questions and are designed to be anonymous.
Select Cancel, Submit and Create Another, or Submit. If you use the Submit and Create Another option, Blackboard will open a clean creation
page of the same type you have just saved. To create a different type of question
or if you do not want to create any additional questions, click Submit and proceed to next steps.
Under the question heading, Enter an optional Question Title. Then Enter the question text into the Text box.
Please note: Surveys are not designed to have correct and incorrect answers because they are asking opinion based questions and are designed to be anonymous. As such, there will be no place in this question type to provide answer options.
Select Cancel, Submit and Create Another, or Submit. If you use the Submit and Create Another option, Blackboard will open a clean creation
page of the same type you have just saved. To create a different type of question
or if you do not want to create any additional questions, click Submit and proceed to next steps.
Under the question heading, Enter an optional Question Title. Then Enter the question text into the Text box. This information provides instructions to students on how they should match the pairs.
Then, create your matching pairs using the "question" and "answer" text boxes.
Please note, that you will have the chance to reuse an "answer" for other pairs if needed.
When you are finished creating question and answer pairs, you can also add any "unmatched" answer options you would like. These answer options would display to students as potential answer
choices, but do not have an intended match.
Be sure to also select the order you would like answers to populate. You can choose to display answer options in order or in a random order.
Finally, select Cancel, Submit and Create Another, or Submit. If you use the Submit and Create Another option, Blackboard will open a clean creation
page of the same type you have just saved. To create a different type of question
or if you do not want to create any additional questions, click Submit and proceed to next steps.
Under the question heading, Enter an optional Question Title. Then Enter the question text into the Text box.*Note: If you are creating a Short Answer question, you can also change how many rows
display for students to begin writing their response.
Finally, provide instructor feedback or select Cancel, Submit and Create Another, or Submit. If you use the Submit and Create Another option, Blackboard will open a clean creation
page of the same type you have just saved. To create a different type of question
or if you do not want to create any additional questions, click Submit and proceed to next steps.
Step 4- Check Your Total Questions
When you are finished creating questions, check the total number of questions in the overview at the top of the page.
You are now ready to deploy your survey and adjust the survey settings. These processes work very similarly to deploying and adjusting tests. If you have additional training needs or questions, it is recommended that you review the Deploying Your Test training page and the Adjusting the Test Settings training page. For additional training beyond these pages or for specific test, surveys, or pools inquiries, please contact OIR.