Student Feedback Service

Background

• SFS
• SFS Project 202 (details of the 2006/7 improvements)

Problems with SFS

Flexibility and usability

• Hard copy only; cannot be delivered online (except through WebCT)
• Electronic version of questionnaire not provided
• Electronic data not provided to staff

Items

• Item1 of the standard 15 Teaching evaluation items does not match with the response scale
• No psychometrics reported
• "Course" rather "unit" is used in some items
• "WebCT" rather than "unit website" is used for online material items

Reporting

• Comparisons over time not provided

Timeliness

• Feedback to staff is delayed until after the examination period

Management

• Low budget, patching approach to maintaining existing, aging infrastructure (despite UC being awarded a substantial amount of money for improving teaching quality)
• There is no electronic forum or mechanism for collaborative staff discussion and feedback about the SFS
• There does not appear to have been consultation with academic staff and students undertaken about the SFS prior to opting for further patching of the system

Pedagogical

• On the one hand, the SFS is voluntary for staff and optional for students, on the other hand UC says is relies on this data for compliance reporting. This would seem to suggest that data from bias samples is being reported? Surely SFS data is NOT needed by the the UC for external reporting requirements (because being a voluntary exercise would create a bias sample). Clarity around this would be useful.

Procedural

• Do students have enough time to complete the questionnaire?
  • Typically, hard copy SFS questionnaires are administered in the last lectures/tutorials (which many students skip). CELTS suggests they can also be done earlier, but much earlier and the students aren't able to evaluate the entire unit.
  • -> Make unit evaluation available online and as hard copies W15 thru exam period.

• Delivery format
  • -> Offer hard copy and electronic formats

• Response rate
  • -> Include in report

• Response representativeness
  • A high response rate will help, however the issue remains that attendence and responses are probably more likely to come from engaged, satisfied students.