Overview
Google Forms lets you make surveys, quizzes, polls, and sign-up forms, then see the results as they come in. Forms is part of UA's Google Workspace, so you can use it with your UA account at no cost. People can fill out your form in any web browser, including on a phone.
Google keeps its own step-by-step instructions up to date, so this article links to them. Each link has a short summary of what it covers. Read the UA notes first, because they explain how UA's setup and policies affect your forms.
In this article:
- Go to Google Forms.
- Sign in with your UA email address (for example, username@alaska.edu) and your UA password.
UA note: Always sign in with your UA account, not a personal Gmail account, so your forms are saved in UA's Google Workspace and you can limit responses to people at UA. If you are signed in to more than one Google account, check the account picture in the upper-right corner before you create a form.
Student education records are protected by FERPA. Under the University of Alaska Data Classification Standards, FERPA data is Restricted data. Before you build a form, think about what you will collect and who can see it.
- Collect only the information you need.
- If your form collects Restricted data, such as grades or other student records, keep it limited to people at UA. Do not make it open to anyone with the link.
- Collaborators can see every response and the linked Google Sheet. Share a form only with people who should see the data.
- Files people upload to your form are saved in your Google Drive. Treat them with the same care as the rest of the responses.
- Quiz scores are student records. Treat quiz results like any other grade.
To learn more, see University of Alaska Data Classification Standards and UAA Privacy and FERPA.
Google: How to use Google Forms
Gives the four basic steps for any form or quiz: create it, edit it, send it, and review the responses. It shows how to start a blank form from Google Forms, Google Drive, or a Google Sheet. It is a good starting point if you have never made a form before.
Google: Edit your form
Shows how to add questions, sections, images, and YouTube videos, and how to import questions from another form. It also covers how to copy, move, and delete questions, and how to shuffle the order of questions and answers.
Google: Choose a type of question for your form
Explains each question type, including short answer, paragraph, multiple choice, checkboxes, dropdown, file upload, linear scale, rating, grids, date, and time. Use it to pick the right question for the answer you need.
UA note: People must sign in with a Google account to answer a file upload question, so people without one cannot submit your form. Uploaded files are saved in your Google Drive and can use your UA Google storage (20 GB for employees, 5 GB for students). File upload questions do not work in forms stored in a shared drive.
Google: Show questions based on answers
Shows how to send people to a different section of your form based on how they answer, so they only see questions that apply to them. This works with multiple choice and dropdown questions. You can also send people straight to the end of the form.
Google: How to set rules for your form
Shows how to use Response validation to check answers before someone can submit, such as a number in a range, a valid email address, or a minimum length. You can write your own error message. For checkbox questions you can require a minimum or maximum number of choices.
Google: Change the theme or font of your form
Shows how to open Customize theme to change your form's colors, add a header image, and change the font and text size.
Google: Create & grade quizzes with Google Forms
Shows how to turn a form into a quiz in Settings, create an answer key, give each question a point value, and add feedback for right and wrong answers. It also covers whether to release grades right away or after you review them.
Google: Publish & share your form with responders
Shows how to Publish your form, choose who can respond, and send it. You can email it to people or groups, copy a link (with an option to shorten it), or embed it in a web page. It also covers pre-filled links and how to stop accepting responses.
UA note: A new form is open only to people signed in with a UA account. If you open it to anyone with the link, people outside UA can respond, and you will not know who they are unless you ask for their email address. To limit a form to a group of people, share it with a UA Google Group.
Google: Share your form with collaborators
Shows how to add editors who can help build your form and see its responses, and how to set an end date for their access. Changes to who can edit the form do not carry over to the linked Google Sheet, so update both. It also shows how to transfer ownership of a form to another person.
UA note: If you are leaving UA, transfer ownership of your forms to a UA coworker first. When your UA account closes, the forms you own may be deleted. If the owner of a form has already left UA, submit a Support for Surveys and Online Forms request for help.
Google: Choose where to save form responses
Shows how to send responses to a new or existing Google Sheet, and how to unlink a form from a sheet. Deleting the sheet does not delete the form, and deleting the form does not delete the sheet.
Google: View & manage form responses
Shows how to see a summary of all responses or step through each person's answers on the Responses tab. It also covers downloading responses as a CSV file, copying charts, getting an email when someone responds, and closing your form.
UA note: Do not post or share response charts or downloads that include student or private information.
Google: Get permission to open a Google Form
Explains the You need permission message. It usually means the person is signed in to the wrong account, such as a personal Gmail account instead of their UA account, or the form is not shared with them.
Google: Fix common errors while you respond to a Google Form
Explains errors people see when they can't submit or move to the next page, such as a skipped required question, an answer that breaks a rule, a file upload limit, or a form that is no longer accepting responses.
For quick answers about Google Forms, ask Spirit, the AI chat assistant located to the right in the green bubble.
Google changed how sharing works in Google Forms in 2025. Forms now have a Publish button, and you choose responders the same way you share a Google Doc. If an older form stopped working for some people, see Google: Learn about updates in Google Forms.
To learn about related tools and policies, see these articles:
For support, requests may be submitted anytime using the appropriate Support for Surveys and Online Forms form. Requests generate a Ticket which will be worked in order received and urgency by UAA Employees with the knowledge and permissions to assist with the request.
For immediate assistance please review the Contact Us page for the appropriate support group.