---
title: "Setting Up External Forms"
slug: "setting-up-external-forms"
updated: 2023-03-02T15:36:12Z
published: 2023-03-02T15:36:12Z
canonical: "support.smarteru.com/setting-up-external-forms"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.smarteru.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Setting Up External Forms

External forms are forms that are created using a third-party software such as [Typeform](https://www.typeform.com/help/a/my-first-typeform-360053660271/) or [SurveyMonkey](https://help.surveymonkey.com/en/?ut_source=homepage). After creating your form, you'll need to specify the form's settings in SmarterU. You can use the form as your [account's default post-course evaluation](/v1/docs/setting-up-external-forms#using-an-external-form-as-the-accounts-default), or [use the form for specific courses](/v1/docs/setting-up-external-forms#using-an-external-form-for-a-specific-course).

You can [create an internal form](/v1/docs/adding-a-form) using [SmarterU's form builder](/v1/docs/form-builder). 

## Creating an External Form

There are a number of third-party tools available for creating a form. When creating your form, you can use [SmarterU's post-course evaluation variables](/v1/docs/post-course-evaluation-variables) to pass data from SmarterU to the form-generation software. For example, including the *su_name* variable in your form replaces the variable with the learner's name.

After creating your form, you'll want to copy the URL to share the form. You'll need the form's URL if you want to use the form as the post-course evaluation for your [account](/v1/docs/setting-up-external-forms#using-an-external-form-as-the-accounts-default) or a [specific course](/v1/docs/setting-up-external-forms#using-an-external-form-for-a-specific-course).

## Using an External Form as the Account's Default

Specifying a [default post-course evaluation for your account](https://support.smarteru.com/docs/account-post-course-evaluations) uses the specified form and settings for all courses that use a post-course evaluation. The account's default can be overridden at the course level.

To use an external form as your account's default post-course evaluation:

1. [Edit the account's settings](/v1/docs/editing-your-account-settings).
2. Expand the Post-Course Evaluations accordion.
3. Select the **Set Post-Course Evaluation Defaults** checkbox.
4. For the **Default Evaluation Type** setting, select *External.*
5. In the **Default Evaluation URL** field, paste the form's URL that you copied in the [Creating an External Form section](/v1/docs/setting-up-external-forms#creating-an-external-form).

![Account Profile - Post-Course Evaluations - External 20230228](https://cdn.document360.io/7efaadab-fef6-4186-806a-2ca14c9ce9ea/Images/Documentation/Account%20Profile%20-%20Post-Course%20Evaluations%20-%20External%2020230228.png)

1. Click **Save**.

The above settings are what's required to use an external form as the account's default post-course evaluation. Refer to [Account: Post-Course Evaluations](/v1/docs/account-post-course-evaluations) for details on other available settings. 

## Using an External Form for a Specific Course

To use an external form for a specific course:

1. Edit the course's settings.
2. Expand the Post-Course Evaluation accordion.
3. Select the **Enable Post-Course Evaluations** checkbox.
4. Select the **Override Account Defaults** checkbox.
5. For the **Evaluation Type** setting, select *External*.
6. In the **Evaluation URL** field, paste the form's URL that you copied in the [Creating an External Form section](/v1/docs/setting-up-external-forms#creating-an-external-form).

![Course Info - Post-Course Evaluations - External 20230228](https://cdn.document360.io/7efaadab-fef6-4186-806a-2ca14c9ce9ea/Images/Documentation/Course%20Info%20-%20Post-Course%20Evaluations%20-%20External%2020230228.png)

1. Click **Save**.

The above settings are what's required to override the account's post-course evaluation with an external form. Refer to [Course: Post-Course Evaluations](/v1/docs/course-post-course-evaluations) for details on the other available settings.

## Related

- [Account: Post-Course Evaluations](/account-post-course-evaluations.md)
- [Course: Post-Course Evaluations](/course-post-course-evaluations.md)
- [Editing an Online Course](/editing-an-online-course.md)
- [Editing a SCORM Course](/editing-a-scorm-course.md)
- [Editing an Instructor-led Course](/editing-an-instructor-led-course.md)
- [Post-Course Evaluation Variables](/post-course-evaluation-variables.md)