What task do you want to improve?
Identify the real task the learner wants to perform better so the course owner can check its relevance to the planned material. A desired improvement does not establish prior skill.
Learning and training / Survey guide
Learning and training · Practical survey guide
Pre-course expectations survey
Align a course with learners' starting goals.
Opens product registration. Example questions are not imported automatically.
BEFORE YOU INVITE PEOPLE
Local planning aid. No answers are submitted or saved.
Read the answers carefully
Keep the conclusion within the evidence.
Expectations are not evidence of prior skill.
Learners expect practical exercises rather than lectures. This is a synthetic example, not a customer result. Expectations are not evidence of prior skill.
A useful starting point
Questions to understand the actual experience.
Align a course with learners' starting goals. Use the prompts relevant to your audience and allow people to skip situations they did not encounter. Keep response handling consistent with what you explain in the invitation.
If nothing was unclear or difficult, say so. Skip questions about steps you did not experience; use not applicable where appropriate.
Which topic feels least familiar?
Unfamiliar topics indicate where introductory explanations may be needed before the course's main tasks. Offer suitable preparation while keeping perceived familiarity separate from a demonstrated assessment of prior knowledge.
What learning support would help?
Turn the requested improvement into a testable next step. One illustrative action is: add exercises tied to the stated tasks.
If nothing was unclear or difficult, say so. Skip questions about steps you did not experience; use not applicable where appropriate. What task do you want to improve? Which topic feels least familiar? What learning support would help?
Download the questions as text ↓
Examples to adapt, rather than a validated research instrument.
A worked interpretation example
From a comment to a practical next step.
Illustrative scenario. These are not customer results.
Keep the finding specific
Learners expect practical exercises rather than lectures.
Choose an action to test
Add exercises tied to the stated tasks.
Check the experience again
After trying the change, repeat “What task do you want to improve?” with people who experienced it. Check whether they still describe the original issue: learners expect practical exercises rather than lectures. Compare explanations and sample context, rather than claiming the change caused an improvement.
Before you send it
Check what your wording assumes.
Would you agree that everything about pre-course expectations was clear and easy?
What task do you want to improve?
The first wording combines an assumed positive outcome with two different judgments. The revised prompt asks about a specific experience and permits an inconvenient or uncertain answer.
Choose the response format
Make room for the explanation.
| Question | Suggested format | What to preserve |
|---|---|---|
| What task do you want to improve? | Optional short text | Retain the specific point or condition described; avoid replacing it with an unexplained rating. |
| Which topic feels least familiar? | Optional written explanation | Keep context that distinguishes different experiences. Expectations are not evidence of prior skill. |
| What learning support would help? | Optional improvement suggestion | Keep the suggested change separate from whether it has been tested. Add exercises tied to the stated tasks. |
Make questions optional where appropriate. If you add a rating scale, label its endpoints, keep one idea per question, and retain a follow-up for reasons. These examples are not a validated measurement instrument.
Build with SurveyTeams
Draft your own pre-course expectations questionnaire.
Use these examples to draft your questionnaire. Create a survey draft, add questions, and check the respondent preview in SurveyTeams. Additional features depend on your account and plan.
Create your survey in SurveyTeams
Opens product registration. Example questions are not imported automatically.
Learn about the product ↗From question to next step
Make the feedback useful.
Set the decision
Start with the decision: Align a course with learners' starting goals.
Invite relevant voices
Invite people with relevant experience. Ask after someone has encountered the situation described in “What task do you want to improve?”, while they can still recall the details. For material testing, show the actual draft first; for planning, ask before the next relevant activity.
Choose an action
Add exercises tied to the stated tasks.
Before you send it
Questions, answered.
Who should receive this questionnaire?
Learners and facilitators involved in the described activity. Ask only about steps each person encountered; do not treat a voluntary response sample as representative.
When should I ask these questions?
Ask after someone has encountered the situation described in “What task do you want to improve?”, while they can still recall the details. For material testing, show the actual draft first; for planning, ask before the next relevant activity.
What should I investigate in the answers?
Learners expect practical exercises rather than lectures. This is an illustrative pattern to look for, not a claim about your respondents. Expectations are not evidence of prior skill.
What would a practical follow-up look like?
Add exercises tied to the stated tasks. After trying the change, repeat “What task do you want to improve?” with people who experienced it. Check whether they still describe the original issue: learners expect practical exercises rather than lectures. Compare explanations and sample context, rather than claiming the change caused an improvement.
How should I ask “Which topic feels least familiar?”?
Unfamiliar topics indicate where introductory explanations may be needed before the course's main tasks. Offer suitable preparation while keeping perceived familiarity separate from a demonstrated assessment of prior knowledge. Use an optional written explanation when predefined choices would hide relevant context.
Can I use the questions in SurveyTeams?
Copy the prompts or download TXT, CSV, JSON, or a Markdown worksheet, then adapt them in your own survey. The CTA opens registration; it does not import this example automatically. Verify available features in your account.
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