ELearning/Teaching online/Student feedback
Standardized student course evaluations do not provide adequately detailed information to help instructors consider the strengths and weaknesses of their teaching practices, and plan for changes. To achieve this goal, alternate methods need to be employed (Brew, 2008). This is so because of the rival purposes of institution-sponsored student evaluations, that is, the conflict between the evaluation (1) as a factor in pay, tenure, and promotion decisions, (2) as a tool for promoting improvements in teaching, and (3) student use of the information when choosing courses and instructors (Calkins & Micari, 2010).
Why Solicit Feedback
Gregory Light (2011) of the Searle Center for Teaching Excellence (Northwestern University) makes the point that instructors who evaluate their teaching practices are much more likely to achieve their potential than those who do not. Beyond the questions of learning outcomes and student achievement, he challenges us to ask, “How will I know if and how my teaching contributed to student learning outcomes?” We’d certainly like to think our impact is positive, but it does happen that students learn despite poor instruction. Throughout this heuristic, we argue for research-based practices. Evaluating our own practices is simply an extension of that mindset. Just like all forms of expertise that can stall-out without constant updating, teaching practices need refreshing too. Peer and supervisory evaluation can be useful, but perhaps the most to be gained comes from those we work with most often – our students.
When to Solicit Feedback
Depending on the type of feedback you seek, weekly, after each module, or mid-semester are the basic choices. Experience tells us that the more often you solicit feedback, the less thoughtful your responses will be, and so the types of questions will differ.
Mid-semester evaluations are likely the most common, although there are no statistics to confirm this. “Conducting a mid-semester survey allows faculty to adjust a course midstream. Guidelines for mid-semester evaluations are identical to those for the end of the semester except that with mid-semester ones, you should be sure to describe in class the three crucial comments you identified from the evaluations, how you will address them, or why you cannot or will not address them at this time” (Huxham, et. al., 2010).
How to Solicit Feedback
Although surveys seem the most appropriate for the online environment, Huxham et. al (2008) suggest other possibilities including rapid feedback, H-forms, and focus-group interviews.
Rapid feedback - students are asked to individually record anonymous answers to the following three questions:
- What do you like about this module?
- What do you dislike about this module?
- What changes would you suggest making to this module?
H forms - an ‘H’ shape drawn on paper, with the question to be addressed written at the top, one side reserved for positive comments, one for negative, and the middle section for means of improvement. Although designed for the classroom, this approach can also take the form of three items to be completed for each question or issue.
Focus-group interviews were also designed for the classroom, but can be conducted using a synchronous tool like the chat room or live conferencing (e.g., Blackboard Collaborate). Focus groups include a subset of the student population and allow for follow-up questions and discussion.
Asking Good Questions
The key to obtaining useful information is to ask focused questions that result in actionable answers. Questions can be written with multiple-choice answers, rating scales, or open-ended for the fullest responses. Which type to use will largely depend on the frequency of your solicitations. Brew (2008) offers some tightly focused examples from an Information Literacy course, and we have added a couple of alternatives:
Example 1: Learning Objectives
“We worked on three learning objectives for the first half of the semester: selecting and evaluating information resources, developing information skills, and discussing central issues in information work. How well do you think these objectives were achieved?”
Alternative: “This semester’s three learning objectives are listed below. Rate the extent to which you think they were achieved, with 4=Fully met to 0=Not met at all.”
- Selecting and evaluating information resources
- Developing information skills
- Discussing central issues in information work
Example 2: Content Delivery
“Module content was delivered using the textbook, a video lecture, additional reading, and an interactive exercise. Was this an effective way to provide the content? What improvements do you suggest?”
Alternative: “Module content was delivered in the following formats. Rate each according to your view of their effectiveness at delivering the content, with 4=Fully met to 0=Not met at all.”
- Textbook
- Video lecture
- Additional readings
- Interactive exercise
Example 3: Assignment
“Each student was required to survey, evaluate, select and present a variety of information resources. What did you learn from this activity? How much time did you spend on these assignments and was your investment worthwhile? What improvements would you suggest?”
Example 4: Discussion
“All students were required to read four articles on issues in information work, to respond via the Discussion Board, and to comment on each other's views. What did you learn from completing these assignments? How much time did you spend on them and was this effort well invested? What improvements would you suggest?”
Example 5: Project
“Students were required to complete a behavioral study at a library (observing catalog and library use, and reference librarians answering patron questions) and report their results. Were these assignments effective learning experiences? What improvements would you suggest?”
Example 6: Group Work
“Students were required to work in groups to create information resource collections and present them via an online presentation. This assignment was intended to utilize all of the previous coursework and provide practice in resource evaluation, selection, and presentation. How well does this assignment achieve its objectives? How much time did you spend on this project and do you feel your efforts are worthwhile? What improvements would you suggest?”
Example 7: Guest Lectures
“The lecture videos included two guest speakers discussing their work with students and teachers. Did these videos and the follow-up discussion contribute to your learning? Do you think time was well invested in this way? What improvements would you suggest?”
Example 8: Final Thoughts
“Please share any thoughts, comments, suggestions, complaints, etc. that you would like me to consider as we evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this course so far. Thank you!”
Online tools
Most learning management systems include a Survey option that can be used for, among other things, a student feedback questionnaire. It is often found within the assessment options. Anonymous feedback is possible.
There are many online commercial survey tools typically include free accounts, although the number of questions is limited. A couple of examples: Survey Monkey Zoomerang
Conclusion
Instructors who solicit feedback from students on their own, as opposed to institutional solicitation, will almost inevitably improve their course content and their teaching practices. The more often we solicit feedback, the less likely we are to receive substantive comments and so must adjust the type of questions utilized, moving from open-ended to closed questions.
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