STUDENT FEEDBACK PROCESS AND TIPS ON INCREASING RESPONSE RATES

S H E A W A N G , P H . D .

I N T E R I M F A C U LT Y E V A L U A T I O N C O O R D I N A T O R

A U G U S T 2 7 , 2 0 1 4

2014 FACULTY DEVELOPMENT DAY

ROLES RELATED TO STUDENT FEEDBACK

Faculty Evaluation Coordinatordevelop resourcesadminister the student feedback systemfirst point of contact for information or assistance

The Faculty Evaluation Committeesteering committee for the student feedback system

make decisions with respect to implementing C5065

THE FACULTY EVALUATION COMMITTEE

Mandate “providing advice, support and recommendations in respect to the

implementation of the instructional aspects of the Faculty Evaluation Policy (C5065), including approval of an overall framework and processes”

Composition

9 faculty members, 3 administration members, 3 students, Faculty Evaluation Coordinator, 1 representative from Non-Instructional Faculty Evaluation Committee, 1 IT representative, 1 senior member of HR

More information:

http://www.macewan.ca/wcm/ExecutiveandGovernance/AcademicGovernanceCouncil/Sub-Committees/FacultyEvaluation/index.htm#1

BACKGROUND: TRANSITION FROM COURSEVAL TO BLUE The Faculty Evaluation Committee passed a motion in Feb. 2013 to

implement eXpolrance Blue/Evaluation as the core application to administer student feedback for faculty evaluation.

Pilot in the fall 2013 in FFAC.

Full implementation in the winter 2014.

STUDENT FEEDBACK PROCESS

B E F O R E ( C O U R S E V A L )

• Opt in courses

• Make changes on spreadsheet

• Additional questions -> Faculty Evaluation Coordinator->ITS

• ITS configures the system, inputs all the courses that are identified by the department for evaluation, and releases the results; the Faculty Evaluation Coordinator works with chairs to finalize courses, troubleshoots, and runs additional data analyses.

N O W ( B L U E )

• Opt out courses

• Make changes directly in the system

• Instructors add questions in the system

• ITS and the Faculty Evaluation Coordinator configure the system, chairs opt out courses, instructors add additional questions, and the Faculty Evaluation Coordinator creates and releases the results.

STUDENT FEEDBACK PROCESS Blue Faculty Evaluation

Timeline Sample

Term Evaluation: sample

Evaluation Stages:

Build and Configure Course Selection - SVM Question Personalization Survey Fill Out Subject View Reporting

Start 1/6/2014

Finish 5/2/2014

Jan 19, '14 Feb 2, '14 Feb 16, '14 Mar 16, '14 Mar 30, '14 Apr 13, '14 Apr 27, '14

Build and Configure the Project

January 6, 2014 - January 17, 2014

Course Selection - Subject View Management

February 1, 2014 - February 21, 2014

Question Personalization March 16, 2014 - March 21, 2014

Last day to withdraw without

penalty March 21, 2014

Survey Fill Out March 22, 2014 - April 14, 2014

Subject View March 22, 2014 - April 14, 2014

Final exam period April 15, 2014 - April 26, 2014

Last day of classes and final exams April 26, 2014

Reporting May 2, 2014

All courses are opted in, except for courses with less than 7 enrolled students.

STUDENT FEEDBACK PROCESS

Chairs & Deans: Course

Selection & Survey Window

Modification

Instructors: Question

Personalization

Students: Form Fill Out

STUDENT FEEDBACK PROCESS – SVM

STUDENT FEEDBACK PROCESS - SVM

Do not leave the course opted in while all the instructors are opted out.

STUDENT FEEDBACK PROCESS - QP

STUDENT FEEDBACK PROCESS (SV)

https://survey.macewan.ca/BlueEval/default.aspx https://myportal.macewan.ca/group/staff/faculty-evaluationOr Blackboard

2014 STUDENT FEEDBACK RESULTSWhere to find previous CoursEval results?• https://eval.macewan.ca/login.htm

Where to find Blue Evaluation results?• myPortal.MacEwan.ca>Applications>Faculty Evaluation

• https://survey.macewan.ca/BlueEval/default.aspx Choose Eval_Users as the data source Click on Dashboard

For more information: https://facultycommons.macewan.ca/services/faceval/student-feedback

IDEAL RESPONSE RATES

A minimum percentage of students, depending upon the size of the class, must be present to do the ratings for the information to be considered representative and reliable

ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE RATES

2014 STUDENT FEEDBACK RESULTS

Response ratesSchool/Faculty Number of Invited Students Number of Completion Response Rates

Faculty of Arts and Science 28656 7424 25.91%

School of Business 12159 3224 26.52%

Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications 6559 1187 18.10%

HCS 14404 2417 16.78%

Grand Total 61778 14252 23.07%

DO ONLINE EVALUATIONS HAVE LOWER RESPONSE RATES THAN PAPER?

Constructive, informative, and encouraging instructor-student engagement around the course evaluation process is very important in maintaining or improving response rates (Norris & Conn, 2005; Johnson, 2002; Anderson et. al., 2006; Ballantyne, 2003).

• Early reminder – 2 to 3 weeks prior

• Reminders into term - check response rates

• Make it an assignment• Give instructions• Stress the importance• Detail how the

university and you use feedback

University of Oregon

• Demonstration of how to

• Provide the URL link• Remind students of the

deadline• Explain the importance • Emphasize the

anonymous nature • Reassure students that

their responses will be taken seriously

• Provide class time

(Nulty, 2008)

TIPS (SEE HANDOUT FOR MORE INFORMATION)

Cont'd.

TIPS • Explain the importance of students’ feedback

• Reassure students that 1) responses are anonymous and 2) you will not see the results until after final grades are submitted

• List “Complete student feedback survey” on syllabus as an assignment

• Email reminders

• Remind students of options to fill out surveys (smartphones, tablets, computers, and laptops)

• Conduct your own midterm feedback

• Give instructions on how to

• Provide class time or schedule a time in a computer lab if necessary

• Use your own creativity!

MacEwan University

THE CRUCIAL FACTOR IN ACHIEVING HIGH RESPONSE RATES IS FACULTY INVOLVEMENT

REPORTS

REPORTS

FINAL WORDS ABOUT STUDENT FEEDBACK Student feedback is important, but is NOT the only component of

faculty evacuation

Peer reviews, teaching dossiers, and annual reports

Continue exploring the functionality of Blue to make it work best for faculty, administration, and students

CONTACT US!

https://facultycommons.macewan.ca/services/faceval/student-feedback

Shea Wang, Ph.D

Interim Faculty Evaluation Coordinator

wangx68@macewan.ca

780-633-3591