When and How to Collect Feedback from Learners

Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning (GMCTL)

14 When and How to Collect Feedback from Learners

In education, gathering feedback from learners is a cornerstone for continuous improvement and teaching excellence. This section delves into the intricacies of feedback collection, spanning from its fundamental importance to the practical methods employed. You will explore why feedback is vital, illuminating its role in refining teaching practices and enriching student learning experiences. Additionally, it will uncover strategies for eliciting meaningful feedback from students, recognizing their essential partnership in the educational process.

This chapter explores various feedback collection methods such as the Student Conversations/Check-Ins, Polls and Student Learning Experience Questionnaire (SLEQ), and critically analyzes their advantages and limitations. This chapter focuses on the significance of peer feedback, acknowledging its role in fostering professional growth and maintaining academic standards. Through this comprehensive exploration, you will gain insights and tools to harness feedback effectively, driving continuous improvement and transformative teaching practices that are aligned with the University of Saskatchewan’s Policy and Procedures.

Why Collect Feedback?

The University of Saskatchewan prioritizes the continuous improvement of teaching quality and students’ learning experiences through regular feedback collection. This feedback serves both formative and summative purposes, aiding educators in refining their teaching practices and contributing to the overall assessment of teaching quality. The university recognizes the value of learner feedback for program planning and enhancement. Integrated into a broader teaching quality framework, which includes peer review and self-assessment, student feedback fosters a culture of reflective practice among educators and students alike. Aligned with the University of Saskatchewan Learning Charter, this policy underscores the institution’s commitment to excellence in education and community engagement.

The University of Saskatchewan has the following Principles regarding Student Learning Experiences Feedback within Courses:

Educators seek feedback in their teaching and can use this feedback to enhance teaching and learning practice.
Students want to provide feedback on their learning experiences.
Feedback is collected, in part, to improve program quality and the quality of student learning.
The rights and dignity of both educators and students shall be protected in the process of gathering student learning experience feedback and the reporting of results.
The instruments that gather student learning experience feedback must be valid and reliable and must be approved by the college faculty council or department where such authority has been appropriately delegated to a department.
The processes of gathering student learning experience feedback shall be fair and transparent; the processes should be explicit and understood at the outset by educators and students.
Student learning experience feedback may be used as one part of a portfolio of evidence of teaching quality; interpretation of numeric results and weight given to qualitative responses shall be fair and transparent.
Feedback is most usable for an educator when it is provided in a timely manner; feedback provided to an educator mid-course can be used to improve the learning experience of the students providing it.

These principles underscore the importance of maintaining integrity and effectiveness in the feedback process at the University of Saskatchewan. By emphasizing educators’ proactive engagement with feedback to enhance teaching practices and students’ desire to contribute to their learning experiences, these principles promote a culture of continuous improvement. These principles prioritize the ethical treatment of all individuals involved in the feedback process, ensuring that their rights and dignity are protected. Validity, reliability, fairness, and transparency are highlighted as essential characteristics of feedback instruments and processes, contributing to the credibility and trustworthiness of the feedback data collected. The timely provision of feedback enables educators to make informed instructional decisions and improve the learning experience for students, reflecting a commitment to excellence in education.

Following is a fictional yet realistic example of how well-timed, high quality feedback can empower educators to make more nimble adjustments to their teaching.

An Unfortunate Coincidence

You have just graded the first major assessment for your course and notice that students did not perform as well as you’d hoped they would. It’s clear students did not adequately prepare. It would be easy to declare the students lazy and carry on, but instead you begin your next class with a poll to hear your students’ perspectives.

In this poll, you discover that many students do not feel they did as well as they could have. In their open-ended responses, they share that this is because there was another major assessment in another of their required courses that was competing for their limited study time. Understanding that not all student work was representative of their true knowledge and skills, you decide to provide them with another opportunity to demonstrate their true understandings.

This second time around, students are much better prepared and they perform quite well, even surpassing the performance of last year’s students!

Though a major benefit of collecting student feedback is the ability to refine one’s course to improve learning, there are secondary benefits too:

Gather evidence of teaching effectiveness to use in collegial processes for renewal, tenure, or promotion.
Better evidence when of teaching excellence and innovation when applying for teaching awards.
More datapoints to show evidence of your growth over time as an educator.
Reputational benefits among students, as you establish yourself as a thoughtful, reflective educator who listens to and makes changes based on student input.
Inform decisions in curriculum or program renewals

How feedback helps educators improve and make informed instructional decisions

Feedback serves as a valuable tool for educators in identifying areas for improvement and making informed instructional decisions. By collecting feedback from students, instructors gain valuable insights into various aspects of their teaching, such as clarity of instruction, effectiveness of learning materials, and engagement levels of students. This feedback allows educators to assess what is working well and where adjustments may be needed to enhance the learning experience.

Not only does feedback help educators gauge student satisfaction and identify areas where their teaching practices may need refinement to better meet the needs of diverse learners, it allows them to make data-driven decisions to improve their instructional methods, ultimately fostering a more supportive and effective learning environment for students.

Benefits of incorporating learner feedback into course development and evaluation processes

The University of Saskatchewan recognizes the invaluable benefits of integrating learner feedback into course development and evaluation processes. By actively soliciting feedback from students, the university fosters a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement in teaching and learning practices. Incorporating learner feedback into course development and evaluation processes offers several benefits for both educators and students:

Prompting Students to Give Good Feedback

Motivating students to provide high-quality feedback is imperative for university courses and instructors to serve as a tool for enhancing teaching effectiveness and refining instructional approaches. Encouraging students to provide valuable feedback can be a challenge, but there are effective strategies to facilitate this process: (Adapted from Collecting Feedback on your Teaching. Centre for Teaching and Learning, Queen’s University)

When soliciting feedback from students, constructive feedback holds immense value as it serves to shape and guide teaching practices and course development. Constructive feedback offers instructors valuable insights into areas of strength and areas for improvement in their teaching methods, course materials, and overall instructional strategies. By receiving feedback that is specific, actionable, and focused on growth, instructors can make informed decisions to enhance the learning experience for their students.

Methods for Collecting Student Feedback

Student Conversations/Check-Ins

Student conversations/check-ins can be used effectively to solicit student feedback about course materials, content comprehension, and feedback for the teacher by creating opportunities for personalized interactions. During these conversations, instructors can engage students in discussions about their understanding of course materials, allowing them to express any areas of confusion or difficulty. Professors can ask probing questions to assess students’ comprehension of key concepts and topics covered in class. Additionally, instructors can encourage students to provide feedback on the clarity, relevance, and usefulness of course materials, such as textbooks, lecture slides, or supplementary resources. These conversations also provide an opportunity for students to share their perspectives on the effectiveness of teaching methods and instructional strategies used in the course. By fostering open communication and active dialogue, student conversations/check-ins enable instructors to gain valuable insights into students’ learning experiences and tailor their teaching approach accordingly.

Student Polls

Poll Everywhere proves to be a valuable tool for gathering student feedback on course materials, comprehension, and teacher performance. Through interactive polls and surveys, students can provide real-time responses using their devices. Professors can create polls to assess the relevance, clarity, and usefulness of course materials, including textbooks, lecture slides, and readings. Additionally, they can gauge students’ understanding of key concepts through multiple-choice or open-ended questions, identifying areas needing further clarification. Students can anonymously share feedback on teaching methods and effectiveness, offering suggestions for improvement. Poll Everywhere facilitates interactive discussions during class sessions, promoting active participation and engagement among students.

Additional polling tools can be found in the LTE ToolKit with further information on use and advantages and limitations.

SLEQ

The Student Learning Experience Questionnaire (SLEQ) is USask’s only institutionally supported student course feedback survey. As such, it is the most popular method across campus for collecting end-of-course feedback from students. Its design and implementation was informed by research literature in many ways:

Questions are focused on matters related to teaching and learning, to ensure that all data collected are useful.
We avoid asking about constructs that lead to more strongly biased perceptions from students (e.g. perceptions of instructor competence)
Students are key stakeholder, but SLEQ avoids positioning students as direct evaluators of teaching

As this document is publicly accessible, we cannot include the specific SLEQ questions, but following are some elements of SLEQ’s design and implementation that may be interesting or helpful for instructors to note:

Midcourse SLEQ

We run both a comprehensive end-of-course SLEQ and an intentionally brief mid-course SLEQ. Mid-course SLEQ questions align with the end-of-course survey, allowing instructors to anticipate and respond to concerns that students would raise during end-of-course while there is still time in the course for them to make changes that benefit current students.

Core USask Questions

These 6 closed-ended (rating scale) and 3 open-ended questions form the core of SLEQ and are designed to apply to your course regardless of its design or delivery. These should still provide good, high quality feedback even if no other customizations are done.

College or Departmental Questions

Academic units have the option of adding their own SLEQ questions to supplement the core question set. This is to account for discipline-specific considerations and priorities, such as the nature of the content or signature pedagogies in the discipline.

Instructor Personalized Questions

Each instructor is given the option to add up to 4 open-ended questions to SLEQ. The responses to these questions only appear in their report, and not on the version of the report seen by academic leaders. They are purely formative. Consider asking about changes you made, design elements you were unsure of, resources used, or feedback related to personal professional growth goals you have set for your teaching.

Modular Question Sets

We offer a number of preconstructed question sets focused on themes that may apply to your course. See the full question set in the Couse Feedback channel of PAWS for more details.

Designing Effective Feedback Surveys

Have you ever received feedback that was completely unhelpful when you are actively trying to improve your craft? This common experience is quite frustrating. Though feedback is ultimately in the hands of your students, by being thoughtful about what you ask and how you ask it, you will improve the feedback you receive. There will be several decision points when gathering feedback, each of which will have implications for what you hear from your students.

Timing and Frequency of Feedback Collection

Collecting feedback from learners

Determining the timing and frequency of collecting feedback from learners requires careful consideration of various factors to ensure its effectiveness and relevance. Instructors should align the feedback collection with critical milestones or checkpoints throughout the course, such as after completing major topics, assignments, or assessments. This allows instructors to capture students’ experiences and perceptions at meaningful junctures, enabling timely adjustments to teaching strategies and course materials.

Considering the duration and pacing of the course is vital in determining the frequency of feedback collection. Shorter courses or intensive programs may necessitate more frequent feedback sessions to ensure continuous improvement, while longer courses may benefit from periodic feedback intervals to maintain momentum and engagement.

Instructors should be acutely aware of the demanding schedules and academic pressures that students face throughout the semester. Timing feedback sessions during periods of high stress or academic demands can inadvertently add to students’ burdens and may result in reduced participation and thoughtful engagement. To mitigate this, instructors should consider the broader context of the academic calendar, including examination periods, major assignment due dates, and other significant events that may impact students’ availability and focus. By strategically scheduling feedback sessions during lulls in the academic calendar or after major deadlines, instructors can ensure that students have the time and mental bandwidth to actively participate and provide meaningful feedback. Additionally, offering flexibility in feedback session timing, such as providing multiple time slots or asynchronous feedback options, accommodates students with diverse schedules and commitments, further enhancing the accessibility and inclusivity of the feedback process.

By carefully considering these factors, instructors can determine the most appropriate timing and frequency of collecting feedback to optimize its impact on teaching and learning.

Benefits of collecting feedback at different points throughout the course

Collecting feedback at different points throughout the course offers numerous benefits for both instructors and students. Mid-term evaluations provide instructors with valuable insights into students’ progress, understanding, and engagement midway through the course, allowing for timely interventions and adjustments to enhance learning outcomes. The mid-course questionnaire also enables students to reflect on their learning experiences thus far, identify areas for improvement, and seek additional support if needed.

Similarly, End-of-Course Questionnaires offer a comprehensive overview of students’ overall experiences and achievements, providing instructors with valuable feedback for future course iterations and program enhancements.

By soliciting feedback at multiple points throughout the course fosters a culture of continuous improvement and reflective practice among both instructors and students, promoting ongoing dialogue and collaboration to optimize teaching and learning outcomes.

Strategies for incorporating ongoing feedback mechanisms

Incorporating ongoing feedback mechanisms into the learning environment is essential for fostering open communication and collaboration between instructors and students. Anonymous suggestion boxes offer a discreet and non-threatening platform for students to provide candid feedback on various aspects of the course, including teaching methods, course materials, and assessment strategies. This anonymity encourages students to express their opinions freely, leading to more honest and constructive feedback.

Additionally, online discussion forums provide a dynamic and interactive space for students to engage in dialogue with peers and instructors, sharing their thoughts, questions, and suggestions in real-time. These forums can be moderated by instructors to ensure productive and respectful exchanges while facilitating active participation and engagement. By implementing these ongoing feedback mechanisms, instructors can create a supportive and inclusive learning environment that values student input and promotes continuous improvement in teaching and learning practices.

Peer Feedback

For instructors, peer feedback on teaching, course materials, and other instructional practices holds significant value in fostering professional development and maintaining high-quality academic standards. By seeking input from colleagues, educators can gain valuable insights into their teaching approaches, identifying areas of strength and areas for improvement. Constructive criticism from peers not only helps instructors refine their teaching techniques but also encourages reflection and growth. Peer feedback offers diverse perspectives and innovative ideas, enriching the teaching experience and promoting collaboration within academic communities.

The University of Saskatchewan’s Peer Review of Teaching Practices emphasizes the importance of peer feedback in enhancing teaching effectiveness and promoting professional development among faculty members. The policy outlines procedures for conducting peer reviews, including the selection of peer reviewers, the evaluation criteria for teaching effectiveness, and the process for providing constructive feedback. It emphasizes the confidential and non-evaluative nature of peer reviews, focusing on collaboration and support rather than assessment. The policy also highlights the role of peer reviews in fostering a culture of continuous improvement in teaching practices and promoting excellence in higher education.

There are templates available on the Peer Review of Teaching page to support your consideration in equity and conduct a range of peer reviews based on the type of course you are reviewing. There are also guides to support you if you are being reviewed by a peer or reviewing a peer.

For additional support there are Workshops for Peer Review of Teaching Practices that can enhance your practice. To request any of the workshops described, please email gmctl@usask.ca

Resources:

Centre for Teaching and Learning, Queen’s University. (n.d.). Collecting feedback on your teaching. Centre for Teaching and Learning. https://www.queensu.ca/ctl/resources/evaluation-teaching/collecting-feedback-your-teaching