You will be building an application that will work with a post-application endorsement survey. For this to work properly you will need to create two surveys -- the application survey and the endorsement survey. Title them accordingly, e.g., ECR Application 2019, ECR Endorsement 2019. These names are for your benefit so the acronym is fine. If you use the full title it is easy to confuse surveys because the end of the title gets cut off.


If you need a new link to the current RFA or FAQ, please see Harvard Catalyst Website Integration on Getting Started.


  1. Click Create New Project, click Survey, enter Project Name, then click Get Started.
  2. Add questions. 
    1. Be sure to include questions for Endorser Name and Email. 
    2. Leave Endorser first and last name in one field if you don't need to split them up, for easier piping (importing fields from one place to another).
    3. You may consider initially only including the survey questions that will be displayed on the endorsement survey or in emails. This will allow you to test the workflow by submitting the forms quickly without having to complete the entire survey. Once the survey is functioning properly, you can add the rest of the survey questions.
  3. Click the Survey Options link to review survey options
    1. Ensure that the Survey Title and Meta Description match the name of your survey
    2. Select Open Access to allow anyone to access the application survey.
    3. Un-check Secure Participants' Files.
      This will allow the applicant to click the link in the email to view the file they uploaded if the applicant will be uploading files, and you want to include the applicant's survey answers in their confirmation email, OR if you have a review cycle. This will allow you to insert links to the applicants' uploaded files in the review form.

    4. Un-check Use Custom Survey Validation, unless you have created your own messages

    5. Un-check Custom end of survey message, or select/create a message

    6. Un-check Save and Continue which can cause problems with caching of responses

    7. Change Partial Completion to Delete (only needed for multi-page surveys)

  4. Click Survey Flow
    1. Click Add a New Element Here
    2. Click Embedded Data
    3. Type "appID"
      appID is the key field that will be used to ensure that the endorser and/or reviewer is accessing the correct record. Be sure the case matches everywhere.
    4. Click Set a Value Now
    5. From the dropdown, select Insert Piped Text > Random Number > Integer 100,000...999,999
      This method does run the remote possibility of duplication.
    6. Click Add a new field, type "courseName" (or "programName")
    7. Click Set a Value Now, type the name of your course (or program)
    8. Drag this new block above the Question Block (using Move)
    9. Click Save Flow



  5. Use embedded courseName in place of your course name
    Anywhere that you have typed the name of your course it can be replaced with ${e://Field/courseName}
  6. Verify that all links in survey open in new window. 
    This allows user to click to the RFA or other links without losing their place on the application form.
    • Click into question then click Rich Content Editor. 
    • Click on linked text then click link icon (chain link).
    • Click Target tab, then make sure "New Window (_blank)" is selected.
  7. Add a Contact List Trigger 
    You will be using this contact list as a database to store name/value pairs that you can pull from the application survey into the endorser survey.
    1. Tools > Triggers > Contact List Trigger
    2. Click "Please Select"
    3. Select My Library:...
    4. Click New Contact List

    5. Specify unique name that matches the offering cycle name, e.g. ECR_2019 (do not use spaces)
      (this will reduce possibility of duplication)

    6. Click Save (not Save Triggers, which closes the pop-up)
    7. Under External Data Reference select Embedded Data and enter "appID"
    8. Click "Add additional fields"
    9. Populate First Name, Last Name, and Email using the appropriate question from the form (i.e. applicant first, last, email)
    10. Enter every field from the application survey, in order (Click + to add more fields)
      1. The field on the left is your variable name, it should be short and not contain spaces
      2. For open-ended questions select choice should be the question text not "Question Text"
      3. For multiple choice questions choose "Selected Choices" or "Selected Cho...Entered Text." "Selected Cho…Entered Text” will include both the selected choices and entered text, eg, if you have an "if other, please specify" field. For “Selected Cho…Entered Text” there is an implied AND. For a choose one question, it will send the selected choice even if it is text typed in the other field. For a choose many question, it will send a comma separated list that includes the text typed in the other field. 
      4. For the file uploads type a memorable name (i.e. adminDoc) and select "File URL"
    11. Click Save Triggers
      Note: to edit/view existing trigger details, click the name of the trigger, e.g., "Add respondent to the panel..."

  8. Add email action to send a confirmation email to the applicant when the application survey is submitted. 
    1. (If you choose to use email triggers instead: You can't specify the From email address in email triggers; it displays as noreply@qualtrics. But replying to the email does go to the Reply-To Email that you specify.)
    2. Click Actions > Add Action
    3. Event: Survey Response
    4. Conditions: N/A
    5. Tasks: Send Email
      1. To: from the dropdown, select Survey Question > Email > Email
        1. You can copy your departmental email address on messages. Separate 'To' emails with a comma. Each recipient will only see their own email address, so it acts as a BCC.
      2. Add a From Address, From Name, and Reply-To Address
      3. In the Subject field
        1. Type "Successful Application of (name of your offering cycle)"
      4. Add information to the Message field
        1. Pipe in addressee's name (Hello Jane Doe,...), and course title.
        2. Pipe in the appID so they can reference it if they need to contact you.
        3. Pipe in endorser name and email address so they have a record of what they submitted and can contact you if they mistyped email.
        4. Include something like, "Your endorser(s) have received email(s) requesting they endorse you. Please confirm with them that they have received that message. You will receive an email notification when your endorse(s) submit their form(s). Until you receive that confirmation, and as the endorsement deadline nears, you may want to remind them to complete their endorsements."
  9. Add email action to send an email to the endorser when the application survey is submitted.
    1. Click Actions > Add Action
    2. Event: Survey Response
    3. Conditions: N/A
    4. Tasks: Send Email
      1. To: from the dropdown, select Survey Question > Endorser Email > Endorser Email
        1. You can copy your departmental email address on messages. Separate 'To' emails with a comma. Each recipient will only see their own email address, so it acts as a BCC.
      2. Add a From Address, From Name, and Reply-To Address
      3. In the Subject field
        1. Type "Endorsement request from " (note the space after "request from ")
        2. From the {a} dropdown select "Survey Question" > First Name, Last Name
      4. Add instructions to the Message field
        1. Instructions for the endorsement process
        2. Pipe in appID, applicant first/last, your contact information, etc.
      5. If you would like to collect the endorser's response using email you are done with the Applicant survey and can begin testing. Make sure to use your own email address when submitting forms to review email templates as well as all surveys and flows.

                           OR

      1. If you would like to collect the endorser's response using a Qualtrics survey, you will need to come back to this email action via the instructions in Building an Endorsement Survey.


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