Encouraging constructive feedback
- See Resources for Students on this site for advice for students on writing feedback comments that are constructive and actionable. Consider or adapting these to your own context and sharing such advice for students in your courses.
- McGill University has further advice for students on providing constructive feedback, to which you could point students as well.
Student response rates
In order that the results may be as informative as possible regarding students’ experiences, it is important that there is a significant response rate to the feedback surveys. At UBC, the SEI results reports include information about response rates, and whether the data from a course fulfills recommended response rates based on research by Zumrawi, Bates, and Schroeder (2014; see also Zumrawi & Schroeder, 2013). See the “Reported metrics” page on this site for more information about recommended minimum response rates based on class size.
How can you encourage students to fill out the SEI surveys so that your courses reach the recommended minimum response rates? Here are some suggestions.
- Talk about the importance of the surveys in class and, where relevant, let students know what changes you have made to your course/teaching as a result of previous student feedback. This lets students know that you both take the surveys seriously, and value their input. Some studies suggest that talking with students about the importance of the surveys, and also how one has used the results in the past, can increase response rates (e.g., Chen & Hoshower, 2003; Iqbal, Lee, Pearson & Albon, 2016; Chapman & Joines, 2017; Hoel & Tove, 2019).
- Consider obtaining student feedback midway through the course, which can help you address what is going well or could use improvement at a time when potential changes can make a difference for current students. Also, administering a mid-course feedback survey and providing the results and your plan of action based on the feedback to the class can be another way to show students that you value and act on their feedback. Please see the Mid-Course Feedback website for more information and advice about collecting student feedback during a course.
- Let students know how results from the surveys are used at the institution, so they understand that their voice can make a difference. There is research that suggests that students don’t know what happens with survey results, and may think that no one is paying attention to them (e.g., Spencer & Schmelkin, 2002; Hoel & Tove 2019). You can point them to the Resources for Students on this site, where there is a one-page, downloadable PDF you can share.
- Provide students with time in class to fill out the surveys, even when they do so online. In a number of reports of SEI data to the UBC Vancouver Senate, evidence was provided that suggests that when students were given time during a course meeting to complete the feedback surveys, response rates increased (see the 2014-2018 reports to the Vancouver Senate on the Resources page; see also Young, Joines, Standish, & Gallagher, 2019). It is good practice to give students 10-15 minutes to complete the surveys. In order to avoid students rushing through the survey, you could let them know that they can return to partially completed surveys later, up until the surveys close.
- Pay attention to the dates the surveys open and close (sent to you via email), and monitor the percentage of students who have filled out the surveys during this period. You can do so by logging into your course(s) on Canvas and going to the “Course evaluation” tab on the left menu. Alternatively, you can go to https://seoi.ubc.ca/surveys (which redirects to you Canvas survey list page). To help increase response rates, remind students to complete the surveys before the deadline, in class, through email, and/or via announcements on your course website.
Reviewing and acting on feedback
- Discuss results with a colleague. McKeachie et al. (1980) found that simply discussing the student survey results with a more experienced teaching colleague and sharing ideas for enhancing practice improved teaching and learning.
- Various studies have shown the value of expert assistance in interpreting and implementing enhancements as a result of student evaluations (Brinko, 1991; Theall & Franklin, 1991; Brinko & Menges, 1997). Contact CTLT in Vancouver or CTL in the Okanagan for workshops and other support around reflecting and acting on student feedback (as well as events and resources related to many other teaching and learning topics).
Reporting results in dossiers for reappointment, tenure, and promotion
The University Module questions have changed at both UBCV and UBCO; see Revisions to University Module Questions for more information. If including SEI results in a dossier for reappointment, tenure, or promotion, how might you report on results both before and after this change?
- The previous and new UMI’s are different enough that it is not possible to combine them. The best approach is to create separate sections for the two sets of questions. See Sample Tables for SEI Results (Microsoft Word) for some examples of how you might do so.
- Those who are preparing dossiers for tenure and promotion, as well as academic leaders, can request to have numerical results reported with earlier metrics (mean and standard deviation) converted into the current metrics (interpolated median, dispersion index, percent favourable), if they choose. Please see Metrics Conversion for more information.
Accessing your SEI reports
Information on how to access SEI reports is available on the Individual Results Reports page.
References:
- Brinko, K. T. (1991). “The interactions of teaching improvement.” In Theall & Franklin (eds.) Effective practices for improving teaching. New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 48. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- Brinko, K. T. & Menges, R. J. (1997). Practically speaking: a source book for instructional consultants in higher education. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press.
- Chapman, D.D. & Joines, J.A. (2017). “Strategies for increasing response rates for online end-of-course evaluations.” International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 29 (1), 47-60.
- Chen, Y. & Hoshower, L. B. (2003). “Student evaluation of teaching effectiveness: an assessment of student perception and motivation.” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 28 (1), 72-88.
- Hoel, A. & Tove, I.D. (2019). “Why bother? Student motivation to participate in student evaluations of teaching.” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 44 (3), 361-378.
- Iqbal, I., Lee, J.D., Pearson, M.L., & Albon, S.P. (2016). “Student and faculty perceptions of student evaluations of teaching in a Canadian Pharmacy School.” Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning 8, 191-199.
- McKeachie, W.J., Y-G Lin, M. Daugherty, M.M. Moffett, C. Neigler, J. Nork, M. Walz, and R. Baldwin (1980). “Using Student Ratings and Consultation to Improve Instruction.” British Journal of Educational Psychology 50; 168-74.
- Spencer, K. & Schmelkin, L. P. (2002). “Student Perspectives on Teaching and its Evaluation.” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 27 (5) 397-409.
- Theall, M & Franklin, J (eds.) (1991). Effective practices for improving teaching. New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 48. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- Young, K., Joines, J., Standish, T., Gallagher, V. (2019). “Student evaluations of teaching: The impact of faculty procedures on response rates.” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 44 (1), 37-49.
- Zumrawi, A., Bates, S. & Schroeder, M. (2014). What response rates are needed to make reliable inferences from student evaluations of teaching? Educational Research and Evaluation: An International Journal on Theory and Practice, 20:7-8, 557-563.
- Zumrawi, A. & Schroeder, M. (2013). Response rates: A case study based on observed variability in UBC student ratings of instructors. Report to the UBC Vancouver Student Evaluations of Teaching Committee.