Introducing Fluid Surveys

Two different survey tools are available for use by the U of S Community:

• Fluid Surveys
• Survey Tool

Fluid Surveys is the newest tool, with an easier user interface and online help videos.  Users are encouraged to use Fluid Surveys instead of the Survey Tool and the decision rests with the end users.  The older U of S Survey Tool may be phased out and updates and bug fixes will not be applied.

Survey owners are expected to create and operate their surveys.  We will provide:

• training
• support for problems or questions

No Migration Path to Fluid Surveys

• Although we recommend switching over to Fluid Surveys, especially for all new surveys, it isn't possible to migrate surveys from the old Survey Tool to Fluid Surveys.    
• It is possible to re-create a survey fairly quickly in Fluid Surveys by cutting and pasting from one into the other. This is a manual operation and can't be automated.
• It is not possible to import old data and results into the new survey tool.  All data must be exported from the old tool into Excel and managed externally.  If the data must be merged, then this has to be done externally in Excel.

Which Survey Tool Should I Use?

In general, the use Fluid Surveys is encouraged.  Some reasons for not using Fluid Surveys may be:

• an existing survey created in the Survey Tool survey that is to be re-used, almost unchanged
• continue running a Survey Tool survey that is already gathering long-term data
• a survey that is targeted to a large PAWS group.

Strengths

Fluid Surveys is:

• Cleaner, simpler, more powerful and friendlier user interface.  Surveys can be created and edited faster with less training.
• Greater range of question types, delivery modes, reports

The U of S Survey Tool is tightly integrated with other U of S systems:

• All users can log in with their NSID.
• Survey owners can target U of S PAWS groups (with the assistance of an administrator).

Features

Who can use these survey tools?

• All current instructors‚ employees‚ and students of the University of Saskatchewan can use either survey tool free of charge.

Multiple Question Types:

• text
• multiple choice‚ single answer 
• multiple choice‚ multiple answer

Dependent Questions

• support for "branching" questions where answers to one question control which subsequent questions appear in the survey

Restricting access to surveys:

• surveys can be public‚ open to anyone in the world.
• participants can be e-mailed unique invitation codes to access the survey which must be used to access the survey
• survey can be limited by time, date, and many other options

Anonymous results and secure data:

• surveys can be completely anonymous
• survey data is only stored in Canada and NOT subject to the US Patriot Act.

Variety of reports:

• results to date can be viewed in reports
• results to date can be exported in a variety of formats (e.g. Excel)