As we are coming to the end of the semester, it is particularly important to solicit student feedback about the course to learn about best practices that worked and to identify areas of improvement. Engaging in reflective teaching practice is essential for growth and improving the online teaching and learning experience. While end-of-term formal evaluations provide summative data, utilizing low-stakes, anonymous Canvas quizzes throughout the semester can offer valuable, actionable student feedback in real-time. 

I usually encourage faculty to spread out some survey questions or reflection opportunities throughout the semester. If you have done so, that is great. If you have not solicited such feedback yet,  it is a great time to get student input for your teaching practice.

One of the ways to solicit student input is creating surveys through Canvas New quizzes. This guide provides faculty with practical tips and a how-to for implementing this strategy to foster reflective teaching practice.

Why Use Canvas Quizzes for Feedback?

Canvas quizzes offer a secure, familiar, and easy-to-use platform for collecting feedback that students can complete quickly.

• Anonymity: You can set the quiz to allow anonymous submissions, encouraging more candid and honest responses from students.
• Data Collection: Quiz responses are easily exported and analyzed, allowing you to quickly identify trends and common areas for improvement.
• Low-Stakes: By setting the point value to zero or a nominal amount, the focus shifts entirely to reflection, not performance.
• Flexibility: You can deploy these feedback quizzes after a challenging module, a new activity, or before a major assignment to gauge understanding and sentiment.
• Practical Tips for Implementatin

Practical Tips for Implementation

Tip	Description
Keep it Short	Limit the quiz to 3-5 questions to ensure a high completion rate. Respect students’ time.
Make it Anonymous	Ensure you do not require student names for the quiz. If necessary, inform students that the quiz is ungraded and responses are for improvement only.
Use Open-Ended Questions	Multiple-choice questions are good for measuring understanding, but open-ended questions solicit reflective feedback. Use the “Essay Question” type in Canvas.
Schedule Strategically	Deploy quizzes at key moments—for example, after the first major project, halfway through the course, or after introducing a new technology tool.
Close the Loop	After reviewing the feedback, share a summary of what you learned and how you plan to adjust the course (without singling out students). This builds trust.

How to create your Survey in Canvas Quizzes 

Here is a step-by-step process for setting up a reflective feedback quiz:

1. Navigate to Quizzes: In your Canvas course, click on the Quizzes link in the course navigation.
2. Add a New Quiz: Click the + Quiz button.
3. Configure Details:
   • Quiz Type: Select “Graded Quiz” and set the points to 0, or “Practice Quiz.”
   • Title: Title it clearly, e.g., “Mid-Course Feedback and Reflection”
   • Assignment Group: Place it in an appropriate, low-stakes group.
   • Options: Check the box for “Allow multiple attempts” if you want to let students rethink responses, but this is usually unnecessary for feedback. Crucially, inform students in the description that the submission will be anonymous.
4. Add Questions: Click the Questions tab and then + New Question.
   • Type: Select Essay Question for open-ended feedback.
   • Enter Questions: Use clear, reflective prompts (see suggested questions below). Set the point value for each question to 0.
5. Save and Publish: Click Save and then Publish when ready for students to access it.

This quiz should be treated as a valuable opportunity for continuous improvement of the course.

Suggested Reflective Feedback Questions

If you are up for this challenge, here are some questions. Use 3 to 5 questions to solicit thoughtful responses about course structure, content, and delivery:

1. What  instructional approaches you find most helpful for your learning in this course, and why?
2. If you were the instructor, what is one thing you would change about the course to improve the learning experience?
3. What course resource (reading, video, discussion, tool) do you use the least, and why?
4. How can the course be improved to support student learning?