Surveys are a fantastic way to gain additional information from your students that you can then use to improve your course content and student engagement. How to add a survey to a lesson depends on which course builder you are using. In the New Course Builder, there is no native survey lesson type — surveys are embedded from external tools as content blocks. In the Classic Course Builder, survey is a native lesson type with built-in question types and reporting.
How to Add a Survey in the New Course Builder
In the New Course Builder, surveys are added by embedding externally hosted content — such as a Google Form or SurveyMonkey survey — as a content block within a lesson.
- From the content menu, select More.
- Select Survey or form.
- Copy the link to your survey.
- Paste the link into the Paste link field.
- Click Embed.
For full instructions on embedding external content, see: Using Embedded Content in the New Course Builder.
How to Add a Survey Lesson in the Classic Course Builder
In the Classic Course Builder, survey is a native lesson type. You can build surveys directly in Thinkific using five question types, and review student responses via Quiz & Survey Export or Thinkific Analytics.
- From your Admin Dashboard, select Products.
- Select Courses.
- Select the course you want to edit by clicking on the course card image.
- Navigate to your desired chapter and click Add Lesson.
- Select Survey.
- Add a Survey title for your lesson.
- Optionally enable or disable free preview, draft setting, prerequisite, or discussions.
Question Types
There are five question types available in Classic Course Builder surveys:
- One answer — the student selects one option. Standard multiple-choice format.
- One or more answers — the student can select more than one option.
- Rating — the student selects from a range of values displayed in a line. Values auto-fill to the left of the selection, similar to a star rating system.
- Scale — the student selects from a range of values with left and right labels to clarify what the range covers.
- Free text — the student writes their answer in a text box.
Rating vs. scale: what's the difference?
Both question types ask students to select from a range of values that you define using the Add Choice option. The difference is visual and functional:
- Rating displays values in a line and auto-fills all values to the left of the student's selection, similar to a 5-star rating system.
- Scale displays the same range of values but adds left and right labels — and optionally a middle label — to clarify what the scale represents. The middle label appears when three or more choices are added.
Use Scale when the meaning of the range needs clarification. Use Rating when the direction is self-evident.
How to Add Questions
- Click Add Question.
- Select a Question Type from the dropdown menu.
- Optionally enable This question is optional.
- Enter your question in the Question field.
- Select Add Choice to add an answer option.
- Repeat step 5 until all choices are added.
- If Scale question type was selected, enter a Left, Middle, and Right label. The middle label appears when three or more choices have been added.
- Click Save.
Survey Reporting
Survey reporting in the Classic Course Builder is available in two ways:
- Quiz & Survey Export — export all survey response data. See: Quiz & Survey Export.
- Thinkific Analytics — view response data directly in Thinkific. The Survey Dashboard shows completion trends and individual responses in a centralized view. See: Thinkific Analytics: Engagement Dashboards.
For surveys embedded in the New Course Builder, reporting is handled within whichever external tool you are using.
Additional Survey Options
Classic Course Builder only.
If the native survey lesson type doesn't meet your needs, you can embed a more robust external survey tool — such as Google Forms or SurveyMonkey — into a Multimedia lesson. These tools offer more question types, more robust reporting, and API access to survey results. Some also support emailing students their responses after completion.
If you need multiple choice questions with one or more correct answers, see: How to Add a Quiz to a Lesson.
Important Considerations
- Surveys can only be completed once per student.
- Once a student submits a response, they cannot review or change their answers.
- Students cannot review the completed survey after submitting.
- Site Admins and Course Admins can review survey responses via Quiz & Survey Export.
Related Articles
- Related: Quiz & Survey Export
- Related: Thinkific Analytics: Engagement Dashboards
- Learn more: Using Embedded Content in the New Course Builder