Student feedback surveys, often called course evaluations, are a fantastic way to gather open and honest feedback that can improve the quality of an online course. These surveys help instructors refine their teaching and address areas needing improvement. Conducting mid-term evaluations often signals to students that the course facilitators are committed to teaching and have the desire to see the students succeed (Brown, 2008). In addition, soliciting mid-term student feedback allows the course facilitator to better help his or her current students and address any needs throughout the remaining weeks of the term.
This guide offers simple steps to create, administer, and interpret these evaluations during the term.
Survey Students Effectively
Online courses can face low response rates when surveys are emailed. To boost participation, embed surveys directly in the course, and offer students time during their regular “class” activities to complete them. For instance, if a course is eight weeks long, give the survey during Week 4. Encouraging completion is key. If possible, adjust course settings to require students to complete the survey before moving forward. If this isn’t an option, emphasize how valuable their feedback is for enhancing the course.
Keeping It Anonymous
Surveys should remain anonymous to promote and protect students’ open and honest responses. Anonymity is critical for honest responses. While systems can track survey completion, students’ names should not be attached to ensure they feel comfortable providing genuine feedback.
Designing Survey Questions
Student feedback survey questions should be designed so that institutions can use the responses to identify specific opportunities for course improvement and enhancement. Surveys should include a mix of quantitative (e.g., Likert scale) and qualitative (e.g., open-ended) questions. The goal is to collect both measurable data and detailed insights that help improve the course. Focus questions on key areas like course clarity, workload, navigation, instructor feedback, and subject knowledge.
Using Likert Scales
A Likert scale is a common tool that asks students to rate their agreement with statements on a scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” (e.g., 1 = “strongly disagree,” 2 = “disagree,” 3 = “neutral,” 4 = “agree,” and 5 = “strongly agree”). This helps instructors pinpoint specific areas of success or improvement. Questions should highlight the first half of the course in addition to ongoing aspects of the course. For example, questions may cover the course introduction and syllabus and also discuss instructor response rates to e-mails and feedback. These questions may be in past or present tense and should be organized into subcategories. Likert scale questionnaires may include statements or questions that provide course facilitators with quantitative granular feedback. They help them see areas that need improvement in addition to highlighting areas of success.
You can also include a “not applicable” option, but only when relevant, for example, questions regarding instructor assistance would warrant an “N/A” option because not all students may have needed the instructor’s assistance throughout the course.The course facilitator should clarify the difference between neutral responses and the N/A option (Norward, 1991). “Neutral” should be defined as an impartial attitude toward a statement or question; however, “not applicable” or no answer means students cannot give an answer because the statement does not apply to their situation. To clarify this in a Likert scale, the “N/A” response option should appear at the far right end of the scale. If a survey includes a not applicable or no answer response option, a written response should be required for those questions (Krosnick et al., 2002). By doing so, students may less likely respond with N/A and spend more time answering the question.
Examples of Likert Scale Questions
Mid-term evaluation Likert scale questions should focus on how the course is going and what improvements the instructor can make.
- Course lectures are clear and organized.
- The course lectures and content prepare me for course assessments.
- I feel comfortable asking the instructor questions when I am unsure about assignment details.
Open-Ended Questions
Open-ended questions allow students to provide specific feedback. For instance, follow a Likert scale question with, “Please explain why you gave that rating.” These responses give instructors valuable details and suggestions for improvement. In a study conducted by van Wyk and McLean (2007), facilitators preferred student comments to Likert scores because student responses provided specific direction for improvement.Student feedback surveys should include a minimum of one open-ended question per survey section. In addition, open-ended questions that encompass the class in its entirety should appear at the end of the survey.
Examples of an open-ended question following a Likert scale question include:
- Please list and describe any suggestions for improvement of this course.
- Please list and describe any suggestions for online interface improvement.
- Please list and describe any positive aspects of taking this course online.
Handling Small Classes
For smaller classes, consider having an open discussion instead of a formal survey. This helps maintain transparency while still gathering meaningful feedback.
Evaluating Student Feedback Surveys
Once feedback is collected, review it promptly. This gives you time to make necessary adjustments before the course ends. It’s also important to communicate the results with students—thank them for their feedback, explain any changes you’ll make, and clarify why some things may not be adjustable mid-course.
Conclusion
Student feedback surveys provide institutions and instructors with powerful information they can use to improve student learning and thus strengthen the institution as a whole. By optimizing the question types and encouraging students to participate appropriately, instructors can leverage these opportunities for feedback to benefit everyone involved in the online course.
