Here are some of the best questions for an online course student survey about navigation experience, plus tips for creating them. With Specific, you can build a high-quality survey in seconds—just generate a survey with the right prompt.
Best open-ended questions for online course student navigation experience surveys
Open-ended questions give students the space to share details you might never anticipate. They’re fantastic for uncovering unexpected pain points or “aha!” moments. We use them when we want thoughtful, honest feedback—beyond just checking a box. The depth and context open-ended responses provide can be game-changing for course improvement. In fact, research shows that open-ended questions in surveys often reveal issues multiple-choice questions miss, leading to richer qualitative insights. [1]
What challenges did you encounter while navigating the course platform?
How intuitive did you find the course layout, and why?
Can you describe any features that made navigation easier for you?
Were there moments when you felt lost or unsure of what to do next? Please share details.
How does this course’s navigation compare to other online courses you’ve taken?
What improvements would you suggest to make navigation more user-friendly?
Did you find the search function helpful for finding materials? Why or why not?
How did the way content was organized impact your learning experience?
Were there any tools or resources that aided your navigation through the course?
How did your experience navigating on mobile differ from desktop, if at all?
Best single-select multiple-choice questions for navigation experience
Single-select multiple-choice questions are ideal when you want clear-cut data, quantify user experience, or make your survey easier to complete. Sometimes it’s simply less daunting for a student to choose from a few options than to write an answer from scratch. These questions can also get the feedback conversation started, which you can deepen with follow-up questions for more clarity. According to survey methodology experts, combining both question types can maximize actionable feedback while still making results easy to analyze. [1]
Question: How would you rate the ease of navigating the course platform?
Very easy
Easy
Neutral
Difficult
Very difficult
Question: How often did you use the search function to find course materials?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Question: Which device did you primarily use to access the course?
Desktop computer
Laptop
Tablet
Smartphone
Other
When to follow up with “why?” If a student chooses “Difficult” for navigation experience, following up with “Why did you find it difficult to navigate?” often brings clarity—like surfacing that menus are hidden or confusing. This is where you move from numbers to meaningful stories and actionable details.
When and why to add the “Other” choice? If a question might not cover every possible answer (such as the devices used to access a course), always add “Other.” A follow-up like “Please specify the device you used” could reveal, for example, that a student primarily used a smart TV or game console to access course materials—insights you’d otherwise miss!
NPS question for survey on navigation experience
The Net Promoter Score (NPS) question is a proven way to measure overall satisfaction and loyalty—yes, it fits here! By asking, “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this course to a friend or colleague?” you capture a simple, powerful metric that reflects both navigation and the bigger user experience picture. Adding a follow-up—like “What’s the main reason for your score?”—yields actionable qualitative detail alongside the number. NPS is one of the most universal benchmarks, with companies in education and beyond using it to track improvements and benchmark against competitors. [2] Want a ready-to-send version? Check out this NPS survey for online course students about navigation experience template.
The power of follow-up questions
Layering in follow-up questions is where surveys become conversations. We’ve seen repeatedly that when students give short, vague, or incomplete answers, a smart follow-up makes all the difference. You can learn more about automated follow-ups in our detailed guide to AI-powered follow-up questions—it’s a game changer for qualitative feedback.
Student: “Sometimes I get lost in the modules.”
AI follow-up: “Could you share a specific example or mention where in the course you felt lost? What would have helped make it clearer?”
How many followups to ask? We recommend 2-3 follow-up questions in most cases. More than that can feel like a grilling, but this range is usually enough to get all the context you need. It’s smart to set a conversation logic: if you already have the info you need, skip to the next survey question. Specific makes this easy with flexible follow-up settings.
This makes it a conversational survey—not just a static form. Respondents feel heard, and you receive actionable feedback that’s way richer.
AI analysis, survey response analysis, GPT summaries: Even with tons of open-ended responses, you can instantly review all feedback with AI. See how easy it is in our guide to AI survey response analysis. No more spreadsheet nightmares—just clear themes and answers at your fingertips.
Automated, context-aware follow-up questions are fairly new in survey tech. Give them a try to see how they change the game and help you uncover the details that really matter.
How to compose great prompts for ChatGPT or GPTs
Writing the right prompt is everything. You could simply start with:
Suggest 10 open-ended questions for Online Course Student survey about Navigation Experience.
But you’ll get far better results if you give the AI extra context, such as your specific role, the type of students you’re surveying, and what your ideal outcome is. For example:
I’m a course designer aiming to improve our online course’s navigation. List 10 open-ended survey questions to discover which navigation issues our students face most.
Once you have a set of candidate questions, the next step is to organize them for focus. Prompt the AI with:
Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.
Now, you can dig even deeper where you want. For instance, after identifying a category on “search functionality,” prompt:
Generate 10 detailed survey questions about search functionality in an online course navigation context.
What is a conversational survey?
A conversational survey is exactly what it sounds like—an interactive experience that feels more like chatting with a knowledgeable guide than filling out a dry form. Respondents answer a question, an AI instantly reviews the answer, asks smart follow-ups in real time, and adapts its tone so it never feels robotic or generic. This approach is proven to engage respondents more, yield richer insights, and reduce survey fatigue. [3]
The difference with an AI survey generator like Specific compared to traditional survey-building is huge. Not only is it lightning fast, but it lets you skip from “I have an idea” to “I have a polished, expert-grade survey” in seconds. Explore our AI survey generator for any topic, or see how easy it is to create a navigation experience survey step by step.
Manual Surveys | AI-Generated Surveys |
---|---|
Time-consuming setup | Survey built in seconds |
Generic templates | Tailored to your exact context via prompt |
Limited logic, static forms | Dynamic, conversational follow-ups using AI |
Analysis requires manual effort | Instant summaries and key findings with AI |
Static, impersonal | Feels like a real conversation, boosts engagement |
Why use AI for online course student surveys? Because you’re competing for student attention, and static surveys just don’t cut it anymore. Conversational AI surveys are engaging, adapt to each respondent, and analyze data for you. AI survey examples—where follow-ups and summaries happen instantly—are simply more effective. Specific nails this, making both survey creation and analysis a breeze. From the designer’s experience to the student respondent journey, it’s a smoother, smarter process every time. And that means more actionable insights for course improvements.
See this navigation experience survey example now
Want feedback that actually helps you improve your course? Try a conversational survey—collect deeper, more actionable insights instantly. Create your own survey with conversational follow-ups and see the quality of feedback skyrocket.