Here are some of the best questions for a student survey about communication from administration, along with practical tips on designing them. If you want to build your own survey, you can generate a targeted survey in seconds using Specific.
The best open-ended questions for student survey about communication from administration
Open-ended questions let students voice their experiences in their own words, uncovering rich detail and context you won’t find in multiple choice quizzes. This type of question is ideal when you want to understand the “why” and “how” behind student perceptions, gather feedback on recent changes, or surface problems you hadn’t anticipated. Incorporating open-ended questions in student surveys about communication can greatly enhance the quality of feedback — one study found 76% of respondents voluntarily added comments in an open-field, showing students want to be heard when given the chance. [1]
What has been your general experience with how the administration communicates important information to you?
Can you describe a time when you found communication from the administration particularly clear or helpful?
Have you ever felt confused or left out due to lack of information from the administration? What happened?
What channels (email, website, social media, announcements, etc.) do you prefer for receiving updates from administration, and why?
How would you improve the way the administration communicates urgent news or changes?
What barriers (if any) have prevented you from understanding messages from the administration?
Tell us about a recent message from the administration that you thought was poorly communicated. What made it difficult?
How could the administration make it easier for you to give feedback or ask questions about their announcements?
What kinds of information do you wish the administration would share more frequently?
In your opinion, what is the most important thing missing from current communications between students and administration?
Open-ended response rates can be lower than closed questions — the average nonresponse is about 18% or higher, compared to just 1–2% for closed questions, according to Pew Research Center. [2] However, you gain access to unique insights and stories that numbers alone can’t provide. Find out more on leveraging open-ended questions in surveys in our guide to open-ended survey questions.
The best single-select multiple-choice questions for student survey about communication from administration
Single-select multiple-choice questions are essential when you want quantitative data: trends, majorities, or to kick off a conversation before digging deeper with follow-ups. They’re also less cognitively demanding, making it easier for students to engage, especially for quick surveys or when you expect high response volume. You can always layer in follow-ups afterward to get more detail.
Here are three strong examples:
Question: How satisfied are you with the frequency of updates you receive from the administration?
Very satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Neutral
Somewhat dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Question: Which method of communication from the administration do you find most effective?
Email
School website
Social media
Text/SMS
Other
Question: In your experience, how relevant is the information you typically receive from the administration?
Always relevant
Mostly relevant
Sometimes relevant
Rarely relevant
Never relevant
When to follow up with “why”? It’s a good move to ask "why" after a choice, especially if the answer hints at dissatisfaction or surprise. For example, if a student selects “Somewhat dissatisfied,” immediately ask: “Can you tell us why you feel dissatisfied with the update frequency?” It’s simple but powerful for surfacing the real issue.
When and why to add the “Other” choice? Use “Other” whenever you think your answer list isn’t exhaustive. Some students have unique preferences or experiences — a follow-up to “Other” can reveal needs or channels you never considered. Unexpected insights often hide here.
NPS-style question for student survey about communication from administration
NPS (Net Promoter Score) is a one-question format widely used to gauge loyalty and advocacy. For student surveys about communication from administration, it works because you get a fast snapshot of overall satisfaction and can compare results over time or with other institutions. NPS is powerful because it benchmarks student sentiment in a format everyone understands: “On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend the administration’s communication to a friend?” You can try generating an NPS survey tailored for students now.
The power of follow-up questions
Follow-up questions turn surveys into true conversations, letting you clarify vague answers and dig into the reasons behind a choice. Our article on automated follow-up questions explains how this brings extra value.
Specific’s AI zeroes in on gaps or interesting bits in a student’s answer and asks a smart follow-up right away. This back-and-forth saves time compared to email chases, makes conversations more engaging, and unlocks deeper insights:
Student: "I never see messages from the administration."
AI follow-up: "Which channels do you check most often for school updates?"
Student: "Emails are usually too long."
AI follow-up: "What kind of information do you wish was prioritized or summarized at the top of those emails?"
How many followups to ask? Stick to about 2–3 layers of follow-up per question. This finds the sweet spot between detail and fatigue. Use a skip logic to limit depth — Specific lets you automatically shift to the next topic once you have enough context.
This makes it a conversational survey: Each interaction feels like a natural exchange, not a boring form. That’s the essence of a conversational survey.
AI survey analysis is a breeze — even if you collect a mountain of comments, our AI-powered analysis tools quickly summarize text, spot recurring themes, and highlight priorities that would take days to process manually.
Automated, smart follow-ups are new — try generating a survey to see how much easier it is to get full, honest feedback with Specific. We’re finding that blending open and closed questions with real-time probing transforms the insights you can get.
How to compose a great prompt for ChatGPT or other GPTs for student surveys about communication from administration
If you want to use an AI tool like ChatGPT to help design your student survey about communication from administration, prompts matter. Try starting simple to get a batch of questions, then refine for relevance. Examples:
Start by asking for breadth:
Suggest 10 open-ended questions for student survey about communication from administration.
Give more context to get better output — include your goals, pain points, or what you want to improve:
“I work in the university academic office. We get complaints that students don't know about schedule changes or events until it's too late. Our goal is to improve trust and reduce complaints. Suggest 10 in-depth, open-ended questions to help us identify where our communication falls short and what channels are most trusted.”
Once you have a list, organize for efficiency and coverage:
Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.
This step helps you spot gaps and avoid duplicates. Finally, ask for deeper coverage on the most important areas:
Generate 10 questions for categories “channels used,” “clarity of messages,” and “reliability of information.”
This prompt-driven approach helps you tailor your AI survey or conversational survey precisely to the pain points and goals of your institution.
What is a conversational survey?
A conversational survey feels like a chat, not a test. Specific’s AI helps you create AI surveys that dynamically engage with students, using both structured (multiple choice) and unstructured (open-ended) questions. The secret sauce is the AI’s real-time follow-ups, which adapt based on every reply.
How does this compare to building a survey manually? Let’s look:
Manual Surveys | AI-generated Surveys (Specific) |
---|---|
Static, fixed questions | Dynamic, adaptive questions with context-sensitive follow-ups |
Harder to analyze unstructured feedback | AI summarizes, categorizes, and extracts action items |
Feels like a form | Feels like a real chat for both student and admin |
Manual setup and edits | Instant edits with conversational AI survey editor |
Why use AI for student surveys? Because AI survey generators streamline everything. You get the right mix of structured and exploratory questions, less survey fatigue, and richer data ready for instant analysis. Plus, it takes a fraction of the time to create your survey, and effortless to update or localize as needed.
You can always see an AI survey example or test a conversational survey yourself. Specific’s user experience leads the way — for both survey creators and the students responding, everything just flows. The platform’s conversational format invites students to elaborate, leading to more honest, comprehensive answers, while the AI does the analytical heavy lifting for you.
See this communication from administration survey example now
Get deeper insights from your students about communication from administration with a conversational survey that adapts in real time and makes every response count. Start now to experience smarter, more engaging feedback with less effort.