Forms

Form Options

As a web author, you have access to two supported tools for creating forms: Qualtrics and Gravity Forms. Each tool serves a different purpose depending on the type of data you’re collecting.

Qualtrics

Qualtrics is a powerful, enterprise-level survey and form tool available through qualtrics.unc.edu. It is ideal for creating both simple and complex surveys, research studies, evaluations, and any form that needs to collect sensitive data. Qualtrics offers advanced features such as branching logic, embedded data, distribution tracking, and analytics. It is hosted securely and approved by UNC for Tier 2 and higher data collection.

Gravity Forms

Gravity Forms is a WordPress plugin used directly within your School of Medicine website. It’s great for building simple forms like contact forms, basic event RSVPs, or general sign-ups. It’s user-friendly and styled to match your site, but it should not be used to collect any sensitive or confidential information. Never use Gravity Forms to collect health information, student IDs, or any sensitive data.

Data Sensitivity Requirements

• Qualtrics is the only approved tool for collecting sensitive data, including:
  • Health-related information
  • Student or employee ID numbers
  • Any Tier 2 or higher data as defined by UNC policies
• Gravity Forms should only be used for collecting non-sensitive (Tier 0 or 1) information, such as:
  • General contact inquiries
  • Event RSVPs
  • Newsletter sign-ups

Do not use Gravity Forms to collect any sensitive personal, medical, or confidential data.

If you use Gravity Forms, we strongly recommend posting a disclaimer that sensitive information should not be submitted through the form.  You must regularly review form submissions and notify the Information Security Office (ISO) if any sensitive data is submitted accidentally.

We recommend using Qualtrics if a file upload field is added to the form. There have been issues where sensitive data has inadvertently been uploaded.

File Upload

Forms can include a file upload field, but extra caution is required.

In Gravity Forms, uploaded files are stored in a publicly accessible directory, which means anyone can view them. Carefully consider the type of data you intend to collect and the potential for inadvertently capturing sensitive information such as:

• Personal information such as home addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. This type of information is commonly added to CV files.
• Resumes – we’ve seen submitted resumes that contained a social security number.
• Student information – Directory information includes, but is not limited to, the student’s name; address; telephone listing; electronic mail address; photograph; date and place of birth; major field of study; grade level; enrollment status (e.g., undergraduate or graduate, full-time or part-time); dates of attendance; participation in officially recognized activities and sports; weight and height of members of athletic teams; degrees, honors, and awards received; and the most recent educational agency or institution attended. Learn more from the Department of Education.
• College transcripts that use Social Security Number as a student id.

We strongly recommend using Qualtrics if your form includes a file upload field.

Access and Permissions

When building and managing forms, it’s important to understand how access and permissions differ between Gravity Forms and Qualtrics.

Gravity Forms

• WordPress is a shared environment so the forms are tied to the site, not an individual user. All site administrators will have access to view, edit, and manage all forms created on the site. Any admin can make changes or view submissions regardless of who created the form.

Qualtrics

• In Qualtrics, forms are owned by the individual user who created them. By default, only the creator has access to edit or view responses. To allow others to collaborate, you must manually share your survey with them.
• If an employee is leaving the department or university, they must first transfer ownership of any Qualtrics forms or survey data to another authorized user. Submit a help ticket by going to the UNC Qualtrics support page and clicking the Transfer a Survey button.

Resources and Support

Qualtrics

• qualtrics.unc.edu – UNC’s official Qualtrics portal where you can log in with your Onyen to access the survey platform. Includes account setup and general information.
• UNC School of Medicine Qualtrics FAQ Page – Overview of Qualtrics services managed by the School of Medicine IT team, including support details and a request form for new accounts.
• UNC Guidance on File Uploads in Qualtrics – Important data security guidance from UNC’s Information Security Office on using the file upload feature in Qualtrics safely and compliantly.
• Qualtrics Tips & Tricks PDF (from the UNC Odum Institute) – A quick reference guide with useful tips, shortcuts, and best practices for building and managing surveys in Qualtrics.
• Official Qualtrics Documentation – Qualtrics offers on-demand training and live training. Head over to Qualtrics XM BaseCamp portal for Core XM training and to explore all the courses. You can pick from the Learning Journeys or Individual Courses.
  • Getting Started with Surveys – Official Qualtrics support documentation with a beginner-friendly walkthrough of the survey platform’s main features and tools.
  • Learn to Use Qualtrics – Free, on-demand training courses and video tutorials to help you learn how to design, distribute, and analyze surveys using Qualtrics Research Core. This video series will teach you the basics of building and distributing a survey project, as well as how to report on your data.
  • Collaborating on Survey Projects – You can collaborate with others on your survey by granting access to additional users. Depending on the level of access you assign, collaborators may be able to edit the survey, view responses, or both.
  • Setting Up An Email Trigger (email alert) – An email trigger automatically sends an email notification when a respondent completes the survey.
  • When accessing training resources, select the Qualtrics Credentials option then Sign in with SSO and enter unc as the organization ID. You’ll be directed to the UNC Single Sign-On screen to enter your Onyen and password.
• Qualtrics includes pre-existing themes that apply UNC and School of Medicine branding to your survey. To access these themes, open your survey and go to Look & Feel settings. From there, you can select a branded theme to apply institutional styling to your form.

Gravity Forms

Available within the WordPress dashboard on your site. View our Gravity Forms documentation.