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Do you use forms and surveys to collect data for your work at the university? If so, this article is for you!  

CU Denver | Anschutz has three software tools you can choose from to collect data. These are Formstack, Microsoft 365 Forms and Qualtrics. All active campus students, faculty and staff have access to each of these forms tools at no cost and they each have different strengths to help you decide between them. Read on to learn which form tool is best for your needs.    

• Formstack is a flexible and robust form building and data collection tool. It is highly configurable with notifications and workflow, and includes a submissions database to work with your data. Use Formstack if you are experienced in developing and analyzing forms or surveys and need to manipulate complex data.

IMPORTANT! Do not use Formstack if you are collecting patient data. Formstack is not HIPAA-compliant.

Request access to Formstack through the OIT Service Desk. Login to Formstack using your university credentials.

• Microsoft 365 Forms (Forms) is accessed under the waffle menu in Microsoft 365, or if you have the Teams desktop app installed, you can access Forms under Apps > All apps > Forms. 

Forms is the easiest of the three applications and if you don’t need a complex form or survey and don’t need to manipulate a lot of data, this is the application for you. In addition, because it is an Office 365 product, Forms integrates well with Teams and other Office 365 applications.   

• Qualtrics is Denver | Anschutz’ only forms and survey tool that is approved to collect patient HIPAA data. OIT worked with the vendor to enter into a Business Associates Agreement (BAA) that governs the way the vendor will handle and protect our HIPAA data. Learn about the university’s HIPAA policies.  

IMPORTANT! You must use Qualtrics to collect patient data. If you currently have a form or survey using a non-compliant tool, you must convert it to a Qualtrics form.    

Qualtrics is a robust, cloud-based tool that includes many question types and highly-configurable reports. Because of the large variety of question types, it is often the go-to tool for surveys. Access your account through the Qualtrics link or contact the OIT Service Desk about activating an account.