Efforts at the institutional level, faculty level, and student peer level are all critical toward the goal of increasing both the quantity and quality of student feedback. A balanced focus between increasing quality and quantity is needed to ensure valuable information is collected.
At the institutional level, several steps have already been made to improve student feedback survey data. These include centralizing administration of the CoursEval system, the Faculty Senate establishing campus-wide dates for end-of-course surveys to open and close, and the work of the Teaching Effectiveness Taskforce to recommend a research-informed and tested common question set, anchoring all feedback in an established definition of Teaching Effectiveness. Additional work to propose a campus-wide, multi-measure approach for collecting and using student feedback is also underway by the Teaching Effectiveness Taskforce.
To learn more about the timeframe and messaging around student feedback surveys, see our CoursEval Resources page.
As faculty, you are also an important partner in helping promote an increased quantity and quality of student feedback surveys. Below are several evidence-based strategies to increase the quality or quantity of student feedback, as well as template language and other resources you can share with your students. Find those that work best for you and your teaching style. Consider implementing at least two of the following. Research has found the MOST effective way to increase both quantity and quality is to implement at least two of these strategies (Cone, et al., 2018; Goodman, Anson & Belcheir, 2015). In particular, look to include at least one strategy that targets BOTH quantity and quality.
Informing students of a few key points will help them better understand why student feedback surveys are important and how to give constructive feedback (Chapman & Joines 2017):
Below is a sample text you can share with your students regarding end-of-course feedback:
I would greatly appreciate your taking a few moments to complete the end-of-course student feedback survey. You should have received an email with the link and instructions. You can also access all your course surveys from the MyCoursEval page.
Your feedback is anonymous and will not be accessible to me until after I have submitted grades. The more of you that complete the survey, the more reliable and helpful the information is to me. I always review all the feedback thoroughly, especially your comments, and use it to improve my teaching methods. This feedback is also very helpful to me in my own career as I apply for promotion and tenure. I encourage you to be constructive and thoughtful in your comments.
If you are unsure what constitutes helpful and constructive feedback review the examples on the CoursEval Resources for Students page or view this short video about providing feedback.
Students are often unaware of how faculty use student feedback surveys to improve their teaching. Let students know that you read their feedback thoroughly, and use it to improve your teaching methods for future courses. For end-of-course surveys, this point is crucial: students are often unaware that the end-of-course survey is not only used to evaluate their instructor in annual reviews but that faculty use it to make the course better in the future. Encourage students to use constructive feedback, and remind them that you will use this information to be better. (Hoel & Dahl 2019, The IDEA Center 2008)
Below is a sample text you can share with your students.
I would greatly appreciate your taking a few moments to complete the end-of-course student feedback survey. You should have received an email with the link and instructions. You can also access all your course surveys from the MyCoursEval page.
This feedback is very helpful to me as I plan for future semesters of this course. I always review all the feedback thoroughly, especially your comments, and use it to improve my teaching methods. Each semester I make adjustments to the course organization and my teaching strategy based on feedback I have received from previous students. Some examples of how I have adjusted the class include…
If you are unsure what constitutes helpful and constructive feedback review the examples on the CoursEval Resources for Students page or view this short video about providing feedback.
When possible, allowing students time in class to complete surveys has been shown to greatly increase the number of responses received. If students do not typically have a laptop or other mobile device with them, you might consider reserving a computer lab or computer-equipped classroom for this class. This not only reinforces the value you place on the feedback but also doesn’t require students to find time on their own to complete the survey.
If teaching asynchronously online, as an equivalent option consider making one of your later weeks slightly lighter (e.g. eliminate the week’s discussion board or reflection activity) and explain to students you are doing this to allow them extra time to be sure they complete their survey.
(Hoel & Dahl, 2019; Berk 2012; The IDEA Center, 2008)
If you choose to use incentives, remember that anonymity is crucial for quality useful feedback. For example, you can give everyone in the class 3 extra credit points if over 80% of students complete the survey.
A cautionary note: While this strategy has been found to increase the quantity of responses, it has not alone been found to increase the quality of those responses. It is recommended this be done in conjunction with at least one other strategy to result in more useful feedback.
(Alvero, Mangiapanello & Valad, 2019; Goodman, Anson & Belcheir, 2015)
We all need reminders and students are no exception! The CoursEval system will send out reminders to students. However, having a reminder come directly from you reinforces the value you find in this feedback. Consider including notes about how many students have completed so far and your goal or desired number to reach.
Turn on MyCoursEval on your Canvas course’s left-navigation menu (In your Canvas course select Settings/Navigation tab on top/find MyCourseEval and select Enable from the three dot menu/click Save at bottom of screen).
(Goodman, Anson & Belcheir, 2015)
The CTL offers multiple mid-semester options to collect feedback from your students. You can also create your own surveys using tools like Canvas Quiz or Google Forms. Or use an Exit Ticket at the end of class. Be sure to follow up with students about any changes you are making based on their feedback. Building this practice into the class early on has been shown to build trust in your value of the feedback and increase response rates.
(Chapman & Joines, 2017)
Research shows that the gender of instructors, along with other minoritized and racialized identities, influences survey scores (Huston, 2006; MacNell et. al., 2015; Fan et. al., 2019). Some researchers suggest that it may be possible to mitigate problems of biases in student feedback surveys by simply informing your students about potential biases (Peterson et. al., 2019).
In emails to students about student feedback surveys (we strongly encourage reminder emails!), faculty can use some variation of the following language from the Peterson et. al. study to help inform students of possible survey biases (text not italicized has been updated to match UMSL terminology):
“Student feedback surveys play an important role in the review of faculty. Your opinions influence the review of instructors that takes place every year. ... Student feedback is often influenced by students’ unconscious and unintentional biases about the race and gender of the instructor. Women and instructors of color are systematically rated lower in their teaching evaluations than white men, even when there are no actual differences in the instruction or in what students have learned.
As you fill out the end-of-course or mid-semester student feedback survey please keep this in mind and make an effort to resist stereotypes about professors. Focus on your opinions about the content of the course (the assignments, the textbook, the in-class material) and not unrelated matters (the instructor’s appearance).”
Peterson et. al., 2019, p. 3
Often students are unaware of what constitutes helpful and constructive feedback. Providing them with examples from previous student feedback surveys can help them better understand what you find useful. You can find resources for students on our CoursEval Resources for Students page. You can also share with them this UC-Merced video on providing constructive feedback.
