Institutional research has long relied on surveys to learn about student experiences. This study describes and evaluates two methods of using electronic mail to gather information from students about their experiences. Data were based on two case studies conducted during spring 1996 and fall 1997 at a 5,000-student state university. The report discusses some of the potential benefits of using e-mail to conduct survey research: faster response rates, the lack of intermediaries increases the chances that respondents will receive the survey promptly, asynchronous communication allows users to think about answers, and the medium itself may encourage users to respond more candidly. E-mail distribution lists are used to distribute questions and collect responses. Hypertext markup language (HTML) forms can be posted to an Internet web site to conduct survey research. While data from electronic surveys may not be as representative as that from a mail survey, the former is more likely to save money and time. Sample HTML form commands, a HTML form file, input types and subcommands, and HTML code used for a first-year survey are included. (Contains 10 references.) (CH)