To edit a survey in Moodle, particularly one created using the flexible Questionnaire activity module, you will access its settings and then navigate to the 'Questions' tab to modify individual questions, their types, and their order using standard Moodle editing tools.
Understanding Moodle's Survey Tools: Survey vs. Questionnaire
Moodle offers two main activity modules that deal with surveys, and their editing capabilities differ significantly:
- Moodle's Built-in Survey Module: This module provides a set of pre-defined survey instruments like COLLES or ATTLS. These surveys are designed for specific research purposes and their questions or structure cannot be edited or customized. You can only configure general settings such as availability and grouping.
- The Questionnaire Activity Module: This is a highly flexible and powerful contributed module that allows you to create custom surveys from scratch using various question types. If you need to add, remove, or modify questions, you are most likely working with a Questionnaire activity. The instructions below focus on editing within this module.
Accessing and Editing Your Questionnaire
Follow these steps to access and modify your custom survey (Questionnaire) in Moodle:
- Log In: Sign in to your Moodle account with a teacher or editing role for the relevant course.
- Navigate to Your Course: Go to the specific Moodle course containing the Questionnaire activity.
- Turn Editing On: Click the "Turn editing on" button (usually a gear icon or a toggle) in the top right corner of your course page. This enables you to make changes to course content and activities.
- Locate the Questionnaire: Find the Questionnaire activity you wish to edit and click on its name to open it.
- Access Settings:
- For general activity settings (like name, description, timing, or access restrictions), click the main 'Settings' gear icon (or 'Actions' menu) typically located in the activity block or at the top right of the activity page, and select 'Edit settings'.
- For question-specific editing, within the Questionnaire interface, look for a tab or link labeled "Questions" (sometimes found under an 'Admin' or 'View' tab). Click this to go to the Questionnaire Editing Questions page.
Editing Questions on the Questionnaire Editing Page
Once you are on the Questionnaire Editing Questions page, you'll find a user-friendly interface for managing your survey content. This page displays a drop-down list of the question types available for your selection and a list of all questions already created for the current questionnaire instance.
Using the standard Moodle icons, you can easily change the order of the questions in the questionnaire, edit existing questions, or delete them.
Managing Individual Questions
- Adding New Questions:
- From the "Add questions" drop-down list, select the desired question type (e.g., Text box, Multiple choice, Rating scale, Date, Yes/No).
- Click the "Add selected question type" button.
- Configure the question details (question text, options, required status, etc.) on the subsequent page.
- Click "Save changes".
- Modifying Existing Questions:
- Locate the question you wish to change in the list.
- Click the "Edit" icon (often represented by a pencil) next to the question.
- Adjust the question text, options, or other settings as needed.
- Click "Save changes".
- Deleting Questions:
- Find the question you want to remove.
- Click the "Delete" icon (usually an 'X' or a trash can icon) next to the question.
- Confirm the deletion when prompted.
- Rearranging Question Order:
- To change the position of a question, use the "Move" arrows (up/down arrows or cross-shaped icon) located next to each question.
- Click the appropriate arrow to shift the question to its desired spot in the survey sequence.
Here's a brief overview of common question types you might encounter:
| Question Type | Description | Example Use |
|---|---|---|
| Text Box | Allows respondents to type short, open-ended answers. | "What do you like most about this course?" |
| Text Area | Provides a larger box for longer, more detailed free-form responses. | "Please provide any additional comments or suggestions." |
| Multiple Choice | Offers a list of options where respondents select one or more. | "How often do you use the Moodle forums?" (Single/Multiple) |
| Rating | Asks respondents to rate something on a numerical or descriptive scale. | "On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate the lecture quality?" |
| Yes/No | Simple binary choice question. | "Did you find the assignment instructions clear?" |
| Date | Allows respondents to select a specific date. | "When did you begin studying for the exam?" |
Adjusting General Questionnaire Settings
Beyond individual questions, you might need to adjust other aspects of your Questionnaire. These are typically found under the 'Edit settings' option when you initially click on the activity's main settings gear icon.
| Setting Category | Description |
|---|---|
| General | Modify the Questionnaire's name, description, and decide whether the description is displayed on the course page. |
| Timing | Set specific "Allow responses from" and "Allow responses until" dates to control when the survey is available. |
| Response Options | Configure how many times users can respond (e.g., once, daily, unlimited), whether responses are anonymous, and if users can save and resume. |
| Content Options | Choose the submission format (e.g., all questions on one page, page breaks), and enable email notifications for submissions. |
| Common Module Settings | Control the activity's visibility, set an ID number, and configure group mode for collaborative activities. |
| Restrict Access | Add conditions (e.g., date, grade, activity completion) that users must meet before accessing the questionnaire. |
Saving Your Changes
After making any edits, whether to individual questions or the general settings, always ensure you click a "Save changes" or "Save and return to course" button to apply your modifications. For question edits, this is usually at the bottom of the question editing form. For general settings, it's at the bottom of the 'Edit settings' page.
Previewing Your Edited Survey
It's highly recommended to preview your Questionnaire after making significant changes. This allows you to see the survey from a respondent's perspective and catch any layout issues, typos, or logical flaws before it's made fully available to your participants. You can usually find a 'Preview' option within the Questionnaire's main interface or after editing general settings.
