Adding Custom Questions

Body

Overview

 

Watermark Course Evaluations & Surveys (CES) allows instructors to add up to 5 of their own custom questions to the standard end-of-semester course evaluations. This process is completed in two parts: first, you build the survey containing your custom questions, and second, you attach that survey to your specific courses for the current evaluation cycle (the "Project").

Create a Custom Questions Survey

 
  1. Access Watermark CES by clicking the Course Evaluations link in any of your Canvas courses.
  2. In the top banner menu, click the Custom Questions drop-down and select Custom Questions Surveys.
  3. Click the Create New Survey button.
  4. Enter a Title for your survey (e.g., "PSY 154 Fall 2026"), then click Save.
    A Create Survey page showing survey details with required fields for entering a title and description, along with Save and Done buttons.
  5. You will be taken to the survey details page. Click the Add Question button.
    A survey details page showing options to add a question by creating a new one, selecting from item banks, or selecting from LO item banks.
  6. Choose how you want to add questions:
    • Select from Item Banks: Search for existing questions using the filters for item bank, question type, or specific text. Check the box next to the questions you want to use, then click Add Selected Questions in the top right corner.
      An Add from Item Banks page showing search filters and a section displaying a selectable question with multiple choice options.
    • Create a New Question: Select the question type from the drop-down menu (e.g., Single Selection) and fill out your question text and answer choices.
      A Create New Question page showing options to choose a question type.
  7. Once all your questions are added, your survey is ready to be attached to your course(s).

Add Your Survey to a Course Evaluation

 

Creating the survey does not automatically distribute it. You must attach the survey to the current evaluation (referred to as a "Project" in Watermark) so your students can actually see it.

  1. In the top banner menu, click the Custom Questions drop-down and select Custom Questions Projects.Uploaded Image (Thumbnail)
  2. Click the name of the Project (semester), then click the Add Survey button.
    A Course Evaluation project page showing project details and an option to add a survey.
  3. Select the custom survey you created in the previous section from the list of available surveys, then click Next.
    An Add Survey page showing options to select a survey.
  4. In your list of destination courses, check the boxes next to the courses that should receive this survey. Your selected courses will appear in the right-side panel.
    A Choose the Destinations page showing tabs for hierarchy levels and courses, with search options for locating courses.
  5. Click Finish & Add.

Managing Attached Surveys

If you need to make changes after adding your survey to the project, or would like to preview it, click the Options menu (three dots) next to it.

  • Preview Survey: See how the questions will appear to your students.
  • Adjust Destinations: Add or remove the survey from specific courses.
  • Remove Survey: Completely detach the survey from the current project.
A survey section showing a menu with options to preview the survey, adjust destinations, or remove the survey from the project.

Details

Details

Article ID: 15435
Created
Fri 5/29/26 9:58 AM
Modified
Wed 6/3/26 7:51 AM