› Student perceptions of student evaluations: Enabling student voice and meaningful engagement

PROJECT

Student perceptions of student evaluations: Enabling student voice and meaningful engagement

Supporting learners, Learning Designs and Teaching Strategies, Assessment

Completed

Completed: 1 September 2020

A two-year project that explored student perceptions of the evaluation process and informed the institution and potentially other tertiary institutions, on how student evaluation systems can be refined to encourage student engagement. A collaboration of Otago Polytechnic and University of Otago.

Aims:

The key aims of the project were to:

identify and describe students' perceptions of student evaluations
determine relationships between perceptions of students to providing feedback on their teaching (including the investigation of cultural differences for Māori and Pacific learners)
make implications for types and content of resources to support the development of evaluation processes and practices
support the role of student evaluations in the ongoing professional development of teaching staff and their institutions.

Methodology:

A mixed method approach was used, both qualitative and quantitative, including:

a literature review and environmental scan
an online questionnaire for students
focus groups and workshops.

Stuart Terry

Project leader

Otago Polytechnic

Dr Sarah Stein

University of Otago

Adon Moskal

Otago Polytechnic

Fiona Stuart

University of Otago

Completed

$34,000.00 (excl GST)

$10,000.00 Regional Hub Project Fund

$24,000.00 Otago Polytechnic and University of Otago

Next section: Insights

Key Findings

Students do see the value of Student Evaluation of Teaching System (SET) as a way to provide feedback on their experiences of courses and teaching.
Reconceptualise SET within a framework and narrative of students as partners by shifting the educational paradigm of teaching and learning to an endeavour done with students and not to students.
Students do not suffer from ‘survey fatigue'.
The three main reasons for non completion of SET were:
a. lack-of-time
b. disinterest
c. no Point.
Students do not have a good idea of how evaluations are used.
Closing the loop continues to be fundamental to engaging students in SET.

Key Recommendations

Explore a model for feedback and evaluation based on a students as partners model to shift the educational paradigm of learning and teaching to an action undertaken with students.
As part of developing the partnership approach, work with student leaders to learn more about why students respond or do not respond, and develop strategies to inspire more students to engage with SET.
Review communications to ensure students explicitly understand how data from SET can be used for different purposes, for example, professional development of staff or evidence to inform quality assurance on a programme of learning.
Close the feedback loop by presenting feedback and the institutional response to all current and potential students and the community on the institution's external facing websites and internal student hub pages.

Next section: Outputs

Report