Collect Student Answers Without Student Accounts

You can collect student answers without student accounts: students open a link, type a nickname, run the simulation and answer your questions below it. There are no logins, no class rosters and no passwords to reset. This step-by-step guide shows exactly how to do it in Simulic, using the real screen labels: create a question set, attach it to a class link, share it, read the results per class and across classes, download a CSV, and set up feedback and retries. It also covers the free monthly limit and the privacy rules you should give students. The teaching side, which questions to ask and how to act on the results, is in the formative assessment guide.

How it works

Three pieces fit together:

• A question set holds the instructions for students, up to 5 questions and your feedback settings. You build it once per simulation.
• A link is what you give a class. Each link pins a language and the starting values, and uses one question set (or none).
• Results are stored per link. Several links can share one set, and you can still see each class separately or all classes together.

What you need

• A free Simulic teacher account. Students never need one.
• A simulation from the library, or one you created.
• About 10 minutes for your first set.

The examples below use the density simulation. Try it first: the wooden block on the Intro screen is 4 kg and 5 L.

Step 1: Create a question set

1. Open the simulation and set the starting values you want students to begin with.
2. Click Share. The Share page has three tabs: Simulation, Questions and Share Links.
3. On the Questions tab, click New question set. The editor opens. Use Rename to give the set a clear name, such as "Density · floating".
4. In Instructions for students, say what to do before answering: "Use the Intro screen. Choose a material, let the block settle, then read the info line under the sliders."
5. Click + Add question, choose a Type and write the question. Some simulations also offer Add from suggestions with ready-made questions.
6. Click Save on each question. Repeat for up to 5 questions.

The three question types

• Short answer: free text. Under Auto-grade (optional), add accepted answers to mark it automatically. Use * for any text: *density* accepts any answer that contains the word. Leave the list empty to grade by hand, and add a Model answer that students see after submitting.
• Multiple choice: 2 to 5 options. Select the correct one, or choose No correct answer (opinion poll).
• Number: checked automatically. Under Grading, choose Answer ± tolerance (a value or a percentage), Range (a minimum, a maximum or both) or List of values. Add an optional unit, such as kg or m/s.

Prediction questions

Under When, choose Before, as a prediction instead of After the simulation. Students answer predictions before the simulation starts, and it stays locked until they press Lock in my prediction. Predictions are not scored. A set can have up to 3.

For a multiple-choice or number prediction, tick Ask again after the simulation (this answer is scored). Students then see their own prediction next to the same question after the experiment, and the results show a Prediction column and an After column side by side.

A ready-to-use example set

For the density simulation, Intro screen, wood, 4 kg:

1. Prediction, multiple choice, asked again: "You replace the 4 kg wooden block with an 8 kg block of the same wood. It will…" Options: sink / float with the same fraction under water / float higher. Answer: float with the same fraction under water. Both blocks are 80% submerged, because the fraction depends only on density: 800 ÷ 1000.
2. Number: "Choose Aluminium and set V to 2.00 L. What is the mass?" Answer: 5.4, ± 0.05, unit kg. Explanation: "m = D × V = 2700 kg/m³ × 0.002 m³ = 5.4 kg."
3. Number: "Choose Wood and set m to 4 kg. After the block settles, what is the water level in the tank?" Answer: 104.0, ± 0.2, unit L. The tank starts at 100 L and the floating block displaces 4 L of water, equal to its mass.
4. Number: "Choose Ice. What percentage of the block is under water?" Answer: 92, ± 1, unit %.
5. Short answer: "Why does a heavy wooden block still float?" Accepted answer: *densit*. Model answer: "Floating depends on density, not mass. Wood is 800 kg/m³, less than water's 1000 kg/m³."

Step 2: Attach the set to a class link

1. Open the Share Links tab.
2. Under New link, type a Name, such as "Grade 8 · Period 2". Choose the Language. If you have more than one set, pick it under Question set.
3. Click Create link. The current settings from the page are pinned to the link.
4. On an existing link card, change the Question set menu at any time. The change applies immediately and the questions appear on the card. Choose No questions to let students just use the simulation.

Create one link per class. Duplicate copies a link with the same language, settings and question set, without the answers. When a set is used by several classes, the editor warns you that changes apply to all of them; answers already sent keep the questions they were given.

Step 3: Share the link

Each link card has Copy link, a QR code with Download QR, an Embed code, and Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams buttons under Share with your class. Present opens the simulation on the class screen with a QR code students can scan. The Google Classroom guide and the LMS embed guide cover those platforms.

What students see

1. Students open the link. Nothing to sign up for, and no cookies are set.
2. If the set has predictions, they answer them under Make your prediction and press Lock in my prediction. The simulation then unlocks.
3. Below the simulation, under Answer these questions, they read your instructions, type their name in Your name (the box says "First name or nickname") and answer.
4. They press Submit and see the feedback you chose, from "Thank you! Your answers were sent to your teacher." to the full answer key.

Step 4: Read the results

Per class: on the Share Links tab, each link shows its answer count. Click View answers to see a table with Nickname, Time (UTC), Score, Attempts (when retries are on) and one column per question, with the percentage correct in each heading. If you delete a question or switch the link to another set, answers already sent move to Earlier questions.

Across classes: on the Questions tab, click All classes on the set. You get % correct by class, one row per link, and Answers from all classes with a Class column.

CSV: Download CSV on a link exports that class; Download CSV on a set exports every class with a class column. The file opens in Excel or Google Sheets.

Feedback, explanations and retries

Under Feedback after submitting, choose what Students see:

• Only "Thank you"
• Their score
• Score and which answers are right or wrong
• Score, right/wrong, answers and explanations

Add an Explanation to multiple-choice and number questions. Students see it with the answer when you choose the last option. Explanations that send students back to the simulation work best: "Let the block stop moving before you read the level."

Extra tries for wrong answers allows 1 or 2 retries. It needs feedback that shows right or wrong. Students can change only the answers marked wrong, and the Attempts column shows how many tries each student used.

Free answers and Pro

The free plan collects 100 student answers per month across all your links. The counter at the top of the Share Links tab shows how many you have used. When you reach the limit, students still see the questions, but new answers are not collected until the next month.

Pro ($7 a month or $59 a year) collects unlimited answers and adds link options: an expiry date, a password and locked parameters. See pricing. For deadlines on the free plan, turn the link off by hand; the homework guide explains both approaches.

Privacy rules

• Nickname only. Tell students to type a first name or a nickname. Never ask for full names, email addresses, student ID numbers or other personal details, in the name box or in a question.
• Match answers yourself. A convention such as "first name + seat number" lets you match results to your class list without collecting anything else.
• Automatic deletion. Answers are deleted after 12 months. You can delete them sooner with Delete all answers on a link.
• Download before deleting. Deleting a link also deletes its questions and answers, so download the CSV first.

FAQ

Do students need an account or an email address?

No. Students open the link, type a first name or nickname and answer. They never sign up, and no cookies are set on their pages.

Can two classes answer the same questions?

Yes. Attach the same set to each class link. Answers stay separate per link, and All classes compares them.

Can I change a question after students have answered?

Yes. Answers already sent keep the question they were given. If you delete a question, its answers stay in the results under Earlier questions.

What happens when I reach 100 answers this month?

Students still see the questions, but new answers are not collected until the next month. Pro removes the limit.

How long are answers kept?

12 months, then they are deleted automatically. Download the CSV if you need a longer record.