Forms

Application Info
Name:	Forms
Icon:
URL:	https://docs.google.com/
Type:	Google Form creation through Google Docs

Google Forms is a Google Doc which allows the creation of surveys, polls and even quizzes. When creating a form, a Google Spreadsheet is automatically created to store results to form questions.

Technical

Access

After logging in to your university Google account, use the top menu bar to navigate to Documents. Open the drop-down menu next to "Create new" and choose Form.

Create

To create a form simply begin by replacing the words "Untitled form" with the title you desire. Add helpful hints in the next region if appropriate. In the question section, provide a question title and help text as appropriate. Then, select which type of question who want. These include text, paragraph text, multiple choice, checkbox, choose from list, scale and grid. You can designate if you want this to be a required question or not. A second question region is ready to edit, by clicking on the pencil icon which appears when you hover over the region. Existing questions can also be edited by doing the same thing. To add more questions, click on "Add Item." To delete questions, click on the trash can which appears when you hover over the question region. Finally, a double square icon between the pencil and trash can icon, allows you to duplicate the question. Make sure to click "Done" when you are ready to save the form.

Multiple Sections and Pages

To create multiple sections, choose Add item>Section header. Title the section and create additional questions.

To create multiple pages, choose Add item>Page break. Create a title for the new page and add additional questions. With this, you can create jump to spots with questions depending on how a question was answered. (This only works with multiple choice questions, however.) For example, if respondents chose "A" they can be directed to go to page 3 to continue answering questions. This could allow them to skip questions that others must answer (for example, if this were a quiz) or allow survey administrators to create skip patterns that direct respondents to sets of questions based on initial answers. To do this click the box next to "Go to page based on answer" on multiple choice questions. For each answer choice, choose where the respondent should go if they choose this answer.

Themes

Google provides a variety of themes to apply to your form. To apply a theme, click on the "Theme:????" button at the top left corner. (The question marks here represent the name of the currently applied theme.) There are currently 97 theme options. The theme will only be applied to the final url site where the form sits and will not be seen during editing.

Administrative tasks

Some decisions should be made when creating a form. Within Google Apps for Education, users have an option that allows them to force a domain sign-in in order to see the form and to automatically collect those domain usernames during data collection. Another option allows them to allow users to edit responses submission.

This form can also be emailed by clicking on the "Email this form" button.

The "See responses" drop-down menu allows you to see a summary of the responses or in the corresponding spreadsheet. (See Google Docs Spreadsheets). The Google Spreadsheet is automatically created when a form is created, and can be accessed through the Google Docs page where all Docs you have created or are associated with are located. In the future, the form can be accessed for editing through the spreadsheet.

Finally, the "More actions" drop-down allows you to get an embed code for embedding the form into an existing website, or changing the confirmation message provided when a participant finishes the form.

Pedagogical Use

Because a form is really a front-end for putting data into spreadsheets and spreadsheets, like any Google Doc, can be shared with others, the biggest value in it is its potential for collaboration. Students can work together to create surveys and collect data in spreadsheets. Within spreadsheets, the data can be analyzed and manipulated in a variety of ways including sorting, creating graphs for visual representations, applying formulas, etc.

Additionally, forms and their corresponding spreadsheets can be used to collect information about students, obtain student and parental feedback and manage logs and other administrative tasks. More uses for forms in the classroom can be found at [EDTE.CH|http://edte.ch/blog/?p=294.]