Using Google Forms to Evaluate Progress

Reposted with permission from blog.texthelp.com

It appears that most schools and universities are back in session by now (unless of course you live near me in KY where schools are still closed due to weather). This means that it’s time to start thinking about what you hope to accomplish between now and the end of the semester.

To help, in this post I will be sharing a quick, easy, and free way to evaluate your (or your students’) progress throughout the year using Google Forms. Google Forms can be used for anything from tests and quizzes to surveys and complex data collection systems. Read on to learn just how simple creating a Google Form can be.

Screenshot of Google Form

 

If Google Forms are new to you, they basically allow you to quickly create a form that contains a variety of questions that you can easily share with others. Question types include true/false, multiple choice, open response, rating scales, and more. Once your questions are created and your form looks the way you want, you can choose to share the form via email or link. Responses are collected in a Google Spreadsheet that you can view any time.

Now that you know the basics, let’s take a closer look using an example…

Say you have a class of 25 students and you want to track tardiness in hopes that it can be reduced. A Google Form provides an excellent way to do this:

  1. Begin by going to forms.google.com. If you are already logged into a Google account you should see a blank form along with a pop up message asking you to choose a form template (see image below). If you are not logged in you will be prompted to do so. Or, if you are a veteran Google user, you can simply choose Create – Form from Google Drive.

     

    Choosing a Google Form Template

     

  2. Be sure to give your form a name, choose a template, and click OK.
  3. Now begin typing your questions and assign an appropriate question type (i.e. multiple choice, text, etc… See top arrow in image below) to each. Note that you can also choose to make the question required (see bottom arrow).

     

    Creating a Google Form Question

     

  4. Once finished, you can click the send button at the top right of the page to email your form. This will bring up a new window where you can type in the email address of who you want to send the form to. Or choose to send via social media.

     

    Send Google Form

     

    Send Google Form Screenshot

     

  5. You can also click the “View live form” button to go directly to the live form. From here you can copy and paste the link, or bookmark it for later use.

     

    View Live Form Link

     

    Live Form View
    Live Form

     

  6. Each response will be filed in a spreadsheet located in your Google Drive. Note that you will need to give the spreadsheet a title. You can access these responses, and the form anytime.

     

    Google Drive View

That’s it! Pretty simple, huh?

While this example was meant to be very basic, hopefully you can see how it could easily be modified to create quizzes, parent or student surveys, and much more.

And for those of you who have already downloaded and read my Guide to Effectively Implementing Technology (free when you subscribe to this blog by entering your name and email in form on right – click here to access the subscribe form), you will find Google Forms an excellent way to create Self, Administrative, or Goal Progress evaluations.

Now it’s your turn to give creating a Google Form a try. Feel free to post questions in the comments area below, or check out the Google Form Support Page.

Keep an eye out for next week’s post where I will take things a step further and show how you can make these forms more accessible for your students.

 

Jason Carroll

Jason first learned of Assistive Technology while working on his undergraduate degree where much of his spare time was spent assisting a regional education centre with basic technology needs. Amazed at how this technology could benefit so many students (particularly those he grew up with) he was hooked and immediately became an expert at the centre. After receiving his Masters, Jason returned to the coop to serve as a full time Assistive Technology Consultant serving over 200 schools in the central Kentucky Region. Since this time, Jason has trained thousands on Assistive Technology and Universal Design for Learning concepts throughout the United States and beyond. His focus is on integrating research based practices into the work he does and helping others ensure that what they are doing works. He specialises in assisting people to bridge the gap between operation of technology and actual implementation. Jason is a published author, has taught Instructional Technology and Universal Design for Learning at the University level, and spends a significant amount of time on e-Learning and blended learning initiatives. He is a graduate of the Assistive Technology Applications Certificate Program (ATACP) from California State University at Northridge and holds a Masters in Business Administration. Currently Jason serves as Product Marketing Manager for North America at Texthelp Inc. where he oversees new product launches and speaks nationally on a variety of Assistive Technology topics.

2 thoughts on “Using Google Forms to Evaluate Progress

Comments are closed.