In the era of digital education, tools like Google Forms have become indispensable for teachers, aiding in creating quizzes, surveys, and collecting feedback. However, the security of such digital platforms is a growing concern. While Google Forms lacks built-in password protection, teachers can ingeniously secure their forms using sections and question validation. This technique is essential not only for protecting sensitive student data but also for preserving the integrity of assessments. You can password protect Google Forms.
Hacking Forms
In order to password protect Google Forms you need to learn this hack.
Use validation on a required question.
Toggle Off Accepting Responses
Google Forms allows you to toggle on and off accepting responses. However, sometimes you do not want to turn off responses but rather restrict who is filling out the Form.
As a teacher, I do not necessarily want students to access the form any time of the day. Students should not always be able to fill out the Form outside of class.
How to Password Protect Google Forms
Setting Up Your Google Form
Begin by designing your form to suit educational needs, whether for quizzes, surveys, or feedback.
Using Sections for Controlled Access
Discover how to divide your form into sections, using the first as a ‘password’ gatekeeper to control access to the rest of the form.
Adding a Password Question
Incorporate a question in the first section that acts as a password, allowing only those with the correct answer to proceed.
Applying Response Validation
Utilize the response validation feature to set the correct answer as the ‘password’, ensuring only intended respondents advance.
Create a Short Answer Question
Add a short answer question to your Google Form asking for the password. Note: The “answer key” does NOT set the password. The question should be worth zero points. You MUST make this question REQUIRED.
Password Protect Google Forms with the 3 Dots
Use the 3 dots in the bottom right of the question to choose “Response Validation.”
Choose Text Validation
Response validation requires the respondent to answer in a particular format in order to submit the Form.
The default validation is “Number.” Click on the arrow to change from “Number” to “Text.” In the text spot, enter the password you want to set for the test.
The format you want the student to respond with is the text password you set.
Be sure to set “Custom error text” to be “Enter password” to prevent the automatic hint providing students the password.
Google Forms automatically save so you can simply change the word you have in the validation and the next person to open the Form and try to get past the first question will need your new password.
If students have started the Google Form and have entered the password and progressed past the password question you CAN change the password even if the students are not done with the Form.
The last icon in the floating toolbar is to “Create a section.” This essentially creates pages in your Google Form.
Create a Section
You will want to create sections to password protect Google Forms. This prevents students from seeing the questions, but still able to acess the Form.
In order for the password to prevent students from filling out the Google Form you need to have “What is your password” be the ONLY question in the section. If they get the password correct they will be permitted to fill in other questions such as “What is your name.” But those need to be in a separate section.
Add Additional Questions
In the next section, add the questions for the assessment or survey. By having the questions in a subsequent section, the questions will not be available to the student until they correctly enter the password.
Use the Add-on Quiz Helper by AliceKeeler to quickly set up your Google Forms to administer quizzes.
Create feedback reports for students.
