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Branching Question Types

Updated
Watermark Support

You can use branching question types (also known as skip logic) to show or hide survey questions based on a student’s response to a previous question. This helps streamline the evaluation experience and ensures students only see questions relevant to their selections.

Who can use this feature?

Only CES Administrators and Project Administrators can create branching questions. Instructors and general Node Administrators cannot add branching logic to their surveys. To learn about managing administrators, refer to Manage Administrators.

Video Overview

An overview of the branching questions types feature is available below. We have updated the user interface since the creation of the video. However, the information in the video remains relevant, and this article provides more information about the feature.

Note: The video mentions that "Branching question types can only be used by an EvaluationKIT (CES) Administrator on a main or targeted survey." This is no longer true. You can use branching logic in general, main and targeted surveys.

What are Branching Questions?

Branching question types allow the CES Administrator or Project Administrator to manage the questions presented to a respondent, based on the user’s response options. This functionality allows you to target questions based on a user’s selection and streamline survey-taking for the student/respondent. You can also easily pull results via standard reporting in Course Evaluations & Surveys.

Branching Questions are only available to CES Administrator and Project Administrator users. Branching Questions are not available to Administrators or Instructors who create surveys.

NOTE: The video mentions that "Branching question types can only be used by an EvaluationKIT (CES) Administrator on a main or targeted survey." This is no longer true. Branching Questions can also be used for general surveys as well.

Setting up Branching Question Types:

Branching questions (sometimes referred to as skip logic) can be considered as having a parent/child relationship. Only Single Selection questions can be setup with branching logic.NOTE: Single-Selection questions that are enabled as an Instructor question cannot add branching logic. A child question can be any of the following:

  1. Single Selection
  2. Multiple Selection
  3. Matrix
  4. Numeric Selection
  5. Open Ended Text Response
  6. Survey Label
  7. Linked

Things to Know:

  1. Parent questions with branched logic cannot be enabled for Team Taught but the children can.
  2. Sequencing is very important. Please ensure that while setting up questions with branched logic that the children are placed in the appropriate order.
  3. VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: When using branching questions, all questions must be accounted for in the branching or the system will ask the question on the survey. For example, if you set up logic in question 5 that says to skip to question 8 if the respondent selects Strongly Disagree, then you will also need to configure which other response choices should show questions 6 and 7. If there is no logic in question 5 that tells the system what to do with questions 6 and 7 then those questions will be asked even if the respondent selects Strongly Disagree.

Example

  1. The below screenshots illustrate the initial setup of questions in a survey. By clicking the branch icon, you'll be presented with an additional window where you can set up the questions for your response options.

    The survey editor showing multiple questions, with icon of a branch highlighted on the first question.

    The branching settings panel showing a selected response and a dropdown to choose follow‑up questions.

  2. By adding the question here, if a student answers Very Satisfied they'll be presented with the question selected in the field below.

    The branching settings panel showing options to add follow‑up questions for different response choices.

  3. Once complete, questions referenced by branch logic will have a View link. Upon clicking View, a secondary dialogue lists the parent question with each response option that has branching logic.

    The survey editor showing a view option that opens a panel listing the questions that branch to the selected question.

NOTE

  • A survey can have both branching and non-branching questions.
  • Branching and non-branching questions can be made required, including the children.
  • You can reuse a child question for additional branched questions.

To reuse a child question for additional branched questions.

  1. Reorder the sequence of the previously used child question. This means the child will show directly under the additional branched question.
  2. Use the number field and arrows below to move the sequence of the question. Note: This is not exclusive to branching question types.

    The survey editor showing a question with options to reorder and manage the question.

Survey Taking Workflow

  1. Once your survey setup has been completed and used in a deployed project, a user will be presented with the expected questions
  2. Since branching creates a page break at the branching question, a status bar will appear to indicate how much of the survey has been taken and how much is left to complete.

    The course evaluation page showing a question with response options and a next button.

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