Student Evaluations: Results of New Questions

Everyone of us has received their students evaluations for Autumn semester 2018. Overall the results did not deviate from the pattern evolved during the previous years. Few concerns raised are discussed individually with colleagues and within the Departmental Learning and Teaching Committees. Overall results are discussed at Senior Management level.  

Here, I would like to report on two new questions that are added at University wide level. The first one was: "I understood how this unit fitted within my programme as a whole". The scores received per Departments and Faculty are as follows:

• BAED 4.2 
• CSD 4.1 
• PSD 4.2 
• ESD 3.9 
• IF Overall 4.2

In UG programmes the score ranges from 3.9 to 4.2, whereas in PGT programmes it ranges from 4.1 to 4.8. This difference is expected but the score in UG programmes is considered on the low threshold of concern. May I remind you that, we have made an attempt to explicitly justify to student for each unit, how it fits within their programme of studies. I encourage you to continue this effort and I would like to refer to a previous post that lists some ways for achieving this:

https://bestpracticesiflearningandteaching.blogspot.com/2018/10/how-does-this-module-fit-within.html

The second new question in the SEQ was: "I was able to use feedback provided during the unit effectively". The respective scores were:

• BAED 4.1 
• CSD 3.9 
• PSD 4.0 
• ESD 4.0 
• IF Overall 4.0

In UG programmes, scores range from 3.8 to 4.0, while in PGT programmes they range from 4.0 to 4.7. We know that feedback scores are high across the International Faculty in all units provided by the Departments. Again, the scores of the new questions are lower than expected and the lowest in the feedback category. This is interpreted as "Although I receive analytical feedback, I am not quite sure how I should use it effectively in order to improve". As agreed in the Quality Strategy and Enhancement Committee (QSEC) as well in the Learning & Teaching Committee of the Faculty (IFLTC), Department should seek ways to make sure that students know how they can use feedback in order to become better in future tasks. I would like to refer to a previous post that lists some ways for achieving this:

https://bestpracticesiflearningandteaching.blogspot.com/2017/03/feed-forward-your-feedback-what-you-can.html

Finally, we agreed that the so called Action Feedback will be implemented by Departments in the Spring semester 2019. An example was posted previously in this blog. I would encourage all colleagues to participate in this effort and refer to feedback not only as a means to determine a grade for a past task but also as an opportunity to enhance knowledge and skills that will be used in future tasks too.

Wishing you a smooth, innovative and productive Spring semester.

Petros Kefalas
IFDLT