If you’re running an online course, your biggest goal is to help students learn better. But how can you know what’s working, and what’s not? One simple and powerful way is feedback surveys.

In this blog, you’ll learn how to create useful surveys, ask the right questions, and use the results to make your courses better. Whether you’re teaching a small group or hundreds of students, this guide will help you improve your course in ways that really matter.

Why Feedback Surveys Matter

When students take your course, they see everything, from the videos and lessons to the quizzes and assignments. Their experience can tell you a lot. But you won’t know unless you ask.

Surveys help you:

• Understand what students like and don’t like
• Find what’s confusing or too hard
• Learn if the course is helping students reach their goals
• Make smart updates that actually help

It’s like turning on a light in a dark room. Once you see what’s going on, you can make better decisions.

Types of Feedback Surveys (and When to Use Each One)

Different surveys serve different goals. You don’t need to use all of them, but combining a few helps you see the full picture.

1. Mid-Course Survey

• Purpose: Catch problems early so you can fix them before learners drop off.
• When: Around the halfway point.
• Use if: Your course is longer than 2 weeks or has multiple modules. 

Example question:

“Is the course pace working for you so far?” (Too fast / Just right / Too slow)

2. End-of-Course Survey

• Purpose: Get overall impressions and ideas for future improvements.
• When: Right after the last module or live session. 

Example question:

“What would you improve if you were running this course?”

3. Quick Polls (In-Module)

• Purpose: Get instant feedback on a specific lesson or resource.
• When: At the end of a video or quiz. 

Example question:

“Was this lesson clear?” (Yes / No)

4. Anonymous Suggestions Box

• Purpose: Let people be honest without pressure.
• When: Available anytime, linked from your course dashboard or welcome email. 

Tip: You can set this up using a simple Google Form.

Key Elements of Using Feedback Surveys to Improve Online Courses

Element	What It Means	Tips & Best Practices	Tools You Can Use
When to Ask for Feedback	Timing your survey during different course stages	Ask after the first module, halfway, and at the end	Google Forms, Microsoft Forms
Survey Length & Format	Keeping it short, clear, and easy	Use 5–10 questions; mix multiple choice and open-ended; use simple language	Typeform, SurveyMonkey
Anonymity for Honest Answers	Letting students share feedback without sharing identity	Make surveys anonymous unless names are needed; explain why info is collected	Built-in anonymous option in most tools
Types of Questions to Ask	Choosing the right questions to get useful insights	Ask about course clarity, favorite parts, improvement areas, and goal achievement	Google Forms templates, custom surveys
Spotting Patterns	Reviewing responses to find common themes or problems	Group feedback into categories (content, tech issues, etc.); look for repeated issues	Use Excel, Google Sheets, or Notion
Taking Action	Making course updates based on real feedback	Add missing examples, fix confusing lessons, and improve content clarity	Your course platform or LMS
Communicating Updates	Telling students how you improved based on their feedback	Send thank-you emails or announcements showing what changed	Email platforms like Mailchimp
Using Feedback to Grow	Leveraging feedback to improve visibility and results	Turn positive comments into testimonials; display them on landing pages	Canva (for graphics), website builders
A/B Testing Course Changes	Testing new updates to see if they work better than old ones	Try new lesson formats with a small group; compare results like quiz scores or completion rates	Your LMS or analytics tools

 

Step 1: Choose the Right Time to Ask

Don’t wait until the end of the course to collect feedback. You can ask at different points:

• After the first module: See if students feel the course is easy to follow.
• Halfway through: Learn what they like so far and what needs fixing.
• At the end: Get full feedback to improve the course for future learners.

You can even add a short question after every major lesson, like: “Was this lesson helpful? (Yes/No). If not, what can we improve?”

Short, regular feedback is easy for students and gives you quick wins.

Step 2: Keep the Survey Short and Clear

Students are more likely to respond if the survey is quick and easy.

Here’s how to keep it simple:

• Use 5-10 questions
• Mix multiple-choice and open-ended questions
• Keep the language clear and friendly

For example:

• How easy was the course to follow? (Very easy / Easy / Hard / Very hard)
• What part of the course did you enjoy the most?
• What can we improve?
• Did the course meet your goals? (Yes / Somewhat / No)

These questions give you honest answers without taking too much time.

Step 3: Make It Anonymous (If Possible)

When students don’t have to give their name, they feel more comfortable sharing real thoughts. An anonymous survey can lead to more honest and useful feedback.

If you need to collect names for follow-up, say clearly why you’re asking and how the info will be used. Trust matters.

Step 4: Use Tools That Make It Easy

There are many free or low-cost tools you can use to create surveys. Some good ones include:

• Google Forms: Free and easy to use
• Typeform: Has a clean design and feels like a conversation
• SurveyMonkey: Good for more detailed reports
• Microsoft Forms: Works well with Office tools

These tools let you send links, collect answers, and see results in graphs or charts.

Pro tip: Embed the survey inside your learning platform if possible, so students don’t need to leave the course.

Step 5: Look for Patterns in Responses

Once you get feedback, don’t just glance at it, study it.

Look for:

• Common problems (e.g., The video is too fast)
• Repeated praise (e.g., I loved the real-life examples)
• Unclear areas (e.g., I didn’t understand lesson 3)

You can even tag the feedback into categories like:

• Content issues
• Platform/tech problems
• Teaching style
• Extra resource requests

This makes it easier to sort and solve.

Once you identify confusing lessons or low engagement areas through feedback, you might also want to review how your assessments are working. Here’s a helpful blog on 10 Tips for Creating Assessments That Actually Measure Learning to make sure your quizzes and tests truly reflect what students are learning.

Step 6: Take Action and Show Students You Care

Feedback is only helpful if you act on it.

Here’s what to do:

• Fix what’s broken (lessons, videos, quizzes, etc.)
• Add what’s missing (examples, instructions, or more help)
• Thank students for their input

You can even send an email like:

“Thanks for your feedback! We heard that many of you wanted more examples in Module 2, so we’ve added two new case studies. We hope this helps!”

This builds trust. Students will feel heard, and they’ll be more likely to take your courses again.

If students say the content feels overwhelming or hard to follow, try breaking lessons into smaller parts or simplifying slides. You can also follow these tips from Cognitive Load Theory to reduce learning overload and make your course easier to absorb.

Step 7: Use Feedback to Grow Your Business

Improving your course helps your students. But it also helps you.

• Better reviews lead to more sign-ups
• Fewer refunds save you money
• Happy learners share your course with others

Also, use good feedback as testimonials. Ask students for permission and showcase their comments on your landing page, email campaigns, or social media. This builds trust with new customers.

Extra Tip: A/B Test Your Changes

After using feedback to make updates, try running two versions of a lesson, one with the old style and one with the new. See which performs better in terms of quiz scores or completion rates.

This helps you test changes with real data, not just guesses.

Final Thoughts

Feedback surveys aren’t just a nice extra, they’re one of the best tools to improve your online courses. They show you what’s working, what’s not, and what your students truly need.

To sum up:

• Ask for feedback at different points
• Keep surveys short and clear
• Use easy tools
• Take action based on the results
• Use positive feedback to grow your business
• Test changes with small updates

Keep listening. Keep improving. Your students will thank you, and your course will shine.