Microsoft Forms is available to U of T instructors through Microsoft 365. It allows instructors to create polls, surveys, and quizzes to engage students, gather feedback, and check understanding during or outside of class.
Forms supports classroom response activities, mid-course formative feedback, and low-stakes assessment and quizzing. Instructors can collect responses, review results in real time, and use what they learn to inform their teaching.
Microsoft Forms is not integrated with the Quercus Gradebook. For assessments requiring integrated grading and more comprehensive assessment management, instructors should consider Quercus Quizzes or Assignments.
Getting Started with Microsoft Forms
To access Microsoft Forms:
- Sign in to Microsoft Forms using your U of T Microsoft 365 account.
- Select New Form to create a poll, survey, or feedback questionnaire, or New Quiz to create a quiz with correct answers and scoring.
- Enter a title and description.
- Add questions and configure the available settings.
- Select Preview to test the Form before sharing it with students.
Forms are saved automatically as you work. You can also start from an existing template or duplicate a Form for reuse. For detailed instructions, consult Microsoft’s Create a new form or quiz.
You can also use Quick Import to convert an existing Word or PDF questionnaire into Microsoft Forms. This can be useful when adapting existing teaching materials, although the conversion supports only certain question types and should be reviewed carefully before distribution. For detailed instructions, consult Microsoft’s Convert a Word or PDF form or quiz to Microsoft Forms.
Choosing Between Forms and Quizzes
Microsoft Forms provides two main options:
| Forms | Quizzes |
|---|---|
| Collect feedback, opinions, preferences, and other responses | Check understanding and provide feedback on answers |
| Useful for polls, surveys, check-ins, and exit tickets | Useful for practice quizzes, knowledge checks, and self-assessment |
| Do not require correct answers or scoring | Support correct answers, points, and automatic or manual review |
| Can collect identified or anonymous responses | Can collect identified responses when instructors need to review individual performance |
Both options support a range of question types and response settings. Choose the format based on what students are being asked to do and how you intend to use their responses.
Adding Questions and Organizing Content
Microsoft Forms supports several question types that can be useful for teaching:
- Choice: Ask students to select one or multiple answers.
- Text: Collect short or extended written responses.
- Rating: Ask students to rate their experience, confidence, or understanding.
- Ranking: Invite students to prioritize ideas, options, or preferences.
- Likert: Gather responses to a series of statements using a common scale.
- Date: Collect preferred dates or other scheduling information.
- File Upload: Allow students to submit files when authenticated through their U of T Microsoft 365 accounts. Uploaded files are stored in Microsoft 365, and instructors should review the relevant storage and sharing permissions.
Instructors can also add images or videos to questions, divide longer questionnaires into sections, and use branching to direct students to different questions based on their responses.
Branching can be useful for differentiated practice or feedback activities. For example, students who select a particular answer might be directed to a follow-up question or an additional explanation.
Branching moves respondents forward through the Form rather than returning them to earlier questions. Test branching carefully before sharing the Form.
For detailed instructions, consult Microsoft’s Create a form and Use branching logic in Microsoft Forms.
Engage Students with Polls and Surveys
Microsoft Forms can be used as a classroom response tool to gather student input during in-person, online, or hybrid classes. Students can respond using a web browser or mobile device, and instructors can review results as responses are submitted.
Classroom Polls and Check-Ins
Instructors can use Forms for activities such as:
- Knowledge checks: Ask questions to identify concepts that may need further explanation.
- Predictions: Invite students to anticipate an outcome before demonstrating a process or revealing additional information.
- Discussion prompts: Collect opinions or interpretations and use the responses to initiate discussion.
- Confidence checks: Ask students to indicate how comfortable they feel with a topic or skill.
- Exit tickets: Gather brief reflections, remaining questions, or feedback at the end of class.
- Prior knowledge: Identify students’ existing understanding before introducing a new topic.
Forms includes a Present option that allows instructors to display questions and collect responses during class. Depending on the question type and presentation mode, results may be displayed using charts, summaries, or other visualizations.
To present a Form during class:
- Open the Form or Quiz.
- Select Present.
- Display the QR code or share the response link with students.
- Allow time for students to respond.
- Review the results and use them to guide discussion or subsequent activities.
Instructors can also insert Forms into PowerPoint presentations using the Microsoft Forms add-in. This allows students to respond to questions during a presentation without requiring the instructor to switch between PowerPoint and a separate browser window.
For more information, consult Microsoft PowerPoint, CTSI’s Student Response Systems, and A&S’s Using MS Forms for Student Response.
Gathering Mid-Course Feedback
Microsoft Forms can be used to collect formative feedback from students during a course. Unlike end-of-course evaluations, mid-course feedback gives instructors an opportunity to understand students’ experiences and make adjustments while the course is still underway.
Instructors can use Forms to ask students:
- What aspects of the course are supporting their learning?
- What challenges or barriers are they encountering?
- Which activities or resources have been particularly helpful?
- What changes might better support their learning for the remainder of the course?
Forms supports a combination of multiple-choice, rating, and open-ended questions. Instructors can configure responses without recording student names to encourage candid feedback, while recognizing that responses may still be identifiable through their content.
After reviewing the feedback, consider sharing a brief summary with students, including what is working well, what adjustments may be possible, and what will remain unchanged and why. This helps demonstrate how student feedback informs teaching decisions.
Create Low-Stakes Quizzes and Knowledge Checks
Microsoft Forms Quizzes allow instructors to create questions with correct answers, assign points, and provide feedback. They can support practice activities, self-assessment, and low-stakes formative assessment.
To create a Quiz:
- Open Microsoft Forms and select New Quiz.
- Enter a title and description.
- Add questions using the available question types.
- Identify correct answers and assign points where appropriate.
- Add explanations or feedback to help students understand their answers.
- Review the Quiz settings and select Preview to test the experience.
- Share the Quiz with students.
Quiz Settings and Feedback
Depending on the activity, instructors can configure options such as:
- Practice mode: Allow students to practise at their own pace and see correct answers during the activity.
- Show results automatically: Allow students to see correct and incorrect answers after submitting, or withhold this information until it is appropriate to release.
- Start and end dates: Set a period during which students can submit responses.
- Time duration: Set a time limit, where appropriate. The timer cannot be paused, and responses are automatically submitted when time expires.
- Shuffle questions: Vary question order, subject to limitations associated with sections and branching.
- One response per person: Limit submissions when students authenticate using their U of T Microsoft 365 accounts.
- Feedback: Provide explanations or comments to support learning.
For detailed instructions, consult Microsoft’s Adjust your form or quiz settings in Microsoft Forms.
Instructors can review responses, manually evaluate answers where needed, and release scores and feedback to students.
Important: Microsoft Forms is not integrated with the Quercus Gradebook. Quiz scores are not transferred automatically. Although results can be exported and grades entered or imported manually, Quercus Quizzes and Assignments are generally more appropriate for graded assessments requiring integrated course management.
Forms should not be treated as a secure testing environment or a direct replacement for Quercus assessment tools.
For additional guidance, consult A&S’s Using MS Forms for Quizzes and CTSI’s Designing Multiple-Choice Questions and Quizzes.
Share Forms and Manage Responses
Microsoft Forms provides several options for distributing Forms and managing the responses collected.
Sharing Forms with Students
To share a Form or Quiz:
- Open the Form or Quiz.
- Select Collect responses.
- Choose who can respond:
- Anyone can respond: Allows responses without requiring U of T authentication.
- Only people in University of Toronto can respond: Requires respondents to sign in with their U of T Microsoft 365 accounts.
- Specific people in University of Toronto can respond: Restricts access to selected individuals or groups.
- Review the available response settings.
- Copy the response link, generate a QR code, or use another available sharing method.
- Distribute the Form to students through Quercus, email, or another appropriate channel.
Forms can also be embedded in supported webpages or Quercus content using the available embed code.
Important: Use the link generated through Collect responses, rather than copying the address from the browser while editing the Form.
Managing Identification and Response Settings
Before distributing a Form, decide whether responses need to be associated with individual students.
- Record name: Records the identities of authenticated respondents when enabled.
- One response per person: Limits authenticated respondents to one submission.
- Accept responses: Controls whether the Form continues collecting submissions.
- Start and end dates: Define when responses can be submitted.
- Response receipts: Allow students to retain a copy of their responses, where supported.
For activities such as anonymous feedback, instructors can disable name recording when using organizational authentication. However, anonymity should not be assumed solely because names are not recorded. Responses may still contain identifying information, particularly in small classes or open-ended questions.
If students need to receive individual feedback or scores, configure the appropriate identification settings before distributing the Quiz.
For detailed instructions, consult Microsoft’s Adjust your form or quiz settings in Microsoft Forms.
Viewing and Using Results
Microsoft Forms allows instructors to review responses as they are submitted.
To view results:
- Open the Form or Quiz.
- Select View responses.
- Review the response summary and results for individual questions.
- Select Check individual results or Review answers, as appropriate, to examine individual submissions.
- Select Open in Excel to review or analyze responses in a spreadsheet.
Results can help instructors identify patterns in student understanding, review feedback, and make decisions about subsequent teaching activities.
When sharing results with students, consider whether the responses contain identifiable or sensitive information. Aggregate summaries may be more appropriate than individual responses for whole-class discussion.
Important: Microsoft Forms allows instructors to generate a link to a summary of responses. Anyone with that link may be able to view the summary, so review the information carefully before sharing it, particularly when responses contain personal or sensitive information.
For detailed instructions, consult Microsoft’s View results of your form.
Collaborate and Reuse Forms
Microsoft Forms allows instructors and teaching teams to collaborate on Forms and Quizzes or share them as templates for reuse.
Collaborating on Forms
Instructors can invite co-instructors, teaching assistants, or other colleagues to help develop and manage a Form.
Collaborators may be able to:
- Add and edit questions.
- Review responses and results.
- Help maintain the Form or Quiz.
- Share the Form with others, subject to permissions.
To collaborate, open the Form, locate Collaborate or Duplicate, and choose the appropriate collaboration permissions. Share the collaboration link only with intended colleagues.
Important: Collaborators may have access to collected responses, including personal information. Review permissions carefully before granting access.
For detailed instructions, consult Microsoft’s Share a form or quiz to collaborate.
Sharing Forms as Templates
Instructors can also share a Form or Quiz as a template so colleagues can create their own copies.
This can be useful for reusing:
- Mid-course feedback questionnaires.
- Classroom polls and check-ins.
- Practice quizzes and knowledge checks.
- Departmental teaching feedback instruments.
- Common surveys used across course sections.
Sharing a Form as a template creates a separate copy that can be customized independently. Existing response data is not included.
For detailed instructions, consult Microsoft’s Share a form or quiz as a template.
Design Accessible and Inclusive Forms
Microsoft Forms can support accessible and flexible participation when instructors consider how students will access questions, provide responses, and use feedback.
When designing Forms and Quizzes, consider:
- Clear questions: Use concise, understandable language and avoid unnecessary complexity or ambiguity.
- Appropriate question types: Choose formats that align with the information or evidence of learning you want to collect.
- Manageable length: Keep activities focused and use sections when longer questionnaires would benefit from additional organization.
- Accessible media: Ensure that images, videos, and other media are accessible and provide appropriate alternatives where needed.
- Flexible participation: Provide a response link as an alternative to a QR code and consider students who may not have immediate access to a personal device.
- Time and pacing: Allow sufficient time for students to read, understand, and respond. Avoid unnecessary time limits.
- Privacy: Collect only the information needed for the activity and explain how responses will be used.
- Feedback: Use responses to inform teaching decisions and provide students with meaningful opportunities to reflect on their learning.
Before sharing a Form, use Preview to check how it appears on different devices and test the questions, response settings, and branching.
Microsoft Forms is part of U of T’s Microsoft 365 environment, but instructors should still follow University privacy and information management requirements. Avoid collecting unnecessary sensitive information, and consult appropriate University guidance when planning activities involving personal information.
For U of T access and technical support, consult Microsoft Forms (EASI).