The Typed - Survey question component allows you to collect free-text responses, reflections, and feedback from your learners directly within your Create courses.
Unlike traditional knowledge-check questions, the Open Input component has no single "correct" answer. Instead, learners provide unstructured written responses and receive a tailored acknowledgement upon submission.
When to use an Open Input Question
- Reflective exercises: Ask learners to reflect on a scenario, case study, or their own workplace experience.
- Open-ended feedback & surveys: Gather opinions, course evaluations, or feedback at the end of a module.
- Application prompts: Encourage learners to outline action plans, next steps, or key takeaways in their own words.
Key Features & Behaviour
- Non-Scored & Completion-Ready: Survey questions are never scored and will not affect overall course, chapter, or page scores. However, they can be set as a requirement for page or course completion.
- Configurable Character Limits: Set optional minimum character requirements and maximum limits up to 5,000 characters (default is 1,000 characters).
- Live Character Counter: Learners see a dynamic character count that updates in real time as they type.
- Reporting & Analytics: Responses are tracked via xAPI, capturing the learner's actual text response.
- Full Translation Support: Question prompts, placeholders, and acknowledgement text can be exported and imported through standard translation workflows.
How to Add and Configure an Open Input Question
1. Add the component to your page
- In the course authoring view, select Add Section (or add an element to an existing custom layout block).
- Navigate to the Questions category.
- Select Text - Survey.
2. Enter your question prompt and optional media
- Click the prompt field to type your question or reflection instructions.
- (Optional) Add a preface element—such as an image, video, audio clip, or embedded media—above the question to provide context.
3. Configure input settings and limits
Open the component settings panel to adjust the input parameters:
- Placeholder text: Customize the hint displayed in the empty text box before the learner begins typing (defaults to "Type your answer here").
- Minimum characters (optional): Set a minimum character count required before a learner can submit. When enabled, the submit button remains disabled until the learner meets this threshold, displaying a helpful prompt (e.g., "Enter at least 50 characters").
- Maximum characters: Set an upper limit for the response. Defaults to 1,000 characters, and can be configured up to 5,000 characters. Text is capped at this limit, preventing learners from typing or pasting over the threshold.
4. Customize the Acknowledgement message
Because this component is not scored, there are no correct/incorrect feedback layers. Instead, you can configure an Acknowledgement message:
- Select the feedback / acknowledgement area of the component.
- Enter an Acknowledgement Title (e.g., "Thank you for your response" or "Reflection submitted").
- Enter your Acknowledgement Message providing next steps, guiding thoughts, or a model answer for comparison.