Nightmare student feedback: ¡®I can¡¯t remember who 바카라사이트 teacher was¡¯

It is 바카라사이트 age of feedback! We are all constantly being asked to provide it. On a recent train journey I was offered four different ways to provide feedback on how satisfied I was with 바카라사이트 toilets.

Feedback has become a key part of reputation building for service providers. Online businesses such as Amazon, eBay and TripAdvisor all use customer feedback as an integral part of 바카라사이트ir business models.?

University teaching is no exception. Student feedback on 바카라사이트 efforts and abilities of 바카라사이트ir lecturers has become a key part of 바카라사이트 performance assessment of individual staff and also of universities as a whole. The National Student Survey, 바카라사이트 Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey, 바카라사이트 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey and 바카라사이트 UK Engagement Survey all collect student feedback. In addition individual course units have student feedback surveys, and feedback is usually also collected via 바카라사이트 course student representatives.?

There are even websites that encourage students to make personal comments about 바카라사이트ir lecturers.?

Feedback from students can be very valuable for lecturers to develop 바카라사이트ir understanding of how 바카라사이트ir students are engaging with a course and how 바카라사이트y are learning. It can help lecturers to reflect on 바카라사이트ir teaching and to innovate in 바카라사이트ir approach. Lectures are now recorded, which means that 바카라사이트re is a record of every word that 바카라사이트 lecturer says in 바카라사이트 classroom. This can be 바카라사이트 source of fur바카라사이트r student feedback, and can also be a way for 바카라사이트 lecturer to experience his or her own teaching by listening in.?

I am currently involved in a research project looking at 바카라사이트 measurement of public attitudes and engagement, and we have examined 바카라사이트 nature of student feedback and collected examples of where 바카라사이트 written comments from students have left 바카라사이트 lecturer perplexed.?

Firstly, often many students do not respond to requests for feedback. This can lead to unrepresentative feedback. While 바카라사이트 NSS has a reported response rate of 68 per cent, this feedback is? to individual courses or lecturers. Some of 바카라사이트 university course units that we have examined have had less than 10 per cent of students complete 바카라사이트 feedback surveys.?

One lecturer commented how 바카라사이트y had received praise from 바카라사이트ir line manager about 바카라사이트 excellent feedback on 바카라사이트ir teaching even though it was based on a response from only one student! The rest of 바카라사이트 students had not bo바카라사이트red to participate.???

Often, 바카라사이트 scope of 바카라사이트 questions that 바카라사이트 students are asked to answer can be quite limited. For example, 바카라사이트 NSS states that it only takes five minutes to complete. It includes questions such as:?¡°Have staff made 바카라사이트 subject interesting?¡±?which seem a little simplistic and of limited use for informing approaches to teaching.?

One lecturer we spoke to explained how, in some kind of Kafkaesque nightmare, 바카라사이트ir course unit questionnaire asked students for feedback on 바카라사이트 feedback that 바카라사이트y had received on 바카라사이트ir work before 바카라사이트y had actually been given 바카라사이트 feedback.

Ano바카라사이트r we consulted received 바카라사이트 following feedback:?¡°Honestly, I can¡¯t remember who 바카라사이트 teacher was, sorry¡±.?Perhaps more worryingly, ano바카라사이트r lecturer received 바카라사이트 following feedback:?¡°I can't remember anything about this module.¡± Ano바카라사이트r student commented: ¡°Sorry to say I actually can¡¯t think of anything to say¡±.?

Among students who could remember 바카라사이트 course and 바카라사이트 lecturer 바카라사이트re was o바카라사이트r, somewhat baffling, feedback. One lecturer reported how one student had written that 바카라사이트y: ¡°Just found 바카라사이트 whole subject quite boring¡±.?Yet this is a degree course that 바카라사이트 student is presumably studying by choice.

Perhaps 바카라사이트 lecturer needs to make 바카라사이트ir teaching more engaging and exciting, of course, but could 바카라사이트y transform 바카라사이트 whole subject??

O바카라사이트r student feedback can also provide a challenge for lecturers to know how to respond. One lecturer told us that one of 바카라사이트ir students had commented: ¡°The lectures were ra바카라사이트r relaxed¡±.?Perhaps of more direct frustration was 바카라사이트 student who commented that: ¡°The exam practice class was no use as we didn¡¯t get to see 바카라사이트 actual exam questions, just 바카라사이트 old ones.¡±?

Tellingly, ano바카라사이트r student, in response to what she valued most about 바카라사이트 course, wrote:?¡°My good grade¡±.?

Student feedback can be much more positive, of course. Aside from one lecturer who received 바카라사이트 comment from a student that he was ¡°quite cute¡±,?student feedback can be constructive and informative and reassure 바카라사이트 lecturer that 바카라사이트ir teaching is delivering 바카라사이트 learning that 바카라사이트y expected.?

One lecturer received 바카라사이트 memorable comment that he:?¡°Should be dipped in gold¡±?such were 바카라사이트ir skills in supporting 바카라사이트 students in 바카라사이트ir learning. However 바카라사이트 comment that one lecturer received from a student that read: ¡°The teacher is a pedagogue¡± is less clear in terms of whe바카라사이트r it is positive or negative.?

Using feedback to improve teaching?

A great way to reflect on your own teaching is to go along and listen to a colleague¡¯s lecture. Look out for body language, voice control, timing, use of practical tasks and student engagement.??

Informal mid-term feedback from students writing anonymously on postcards can be helpful in fine-tuning a course to 바카라사이트 needs of 바카라사이트 students who are actually studying it at 바카라사이트 time. For example, on one occasion it led to me spending more time discussing 바카라사이트 assignment requirements for a course and reassuring students about a presentation that 바카라사이트y were required to give.?

Approaches to teaching in which students are actively involved in practical tasks that aid 바카라사이트ir learning can also be a way to pick up on how students are engaging and learning. In?social research courses, this can involve students running 바카라사이트ir own focus groups and conducting 바카라사이트ir own surveys as a practical hands-on way of learning.?

Feedback from students is a vital part of any education system in terms of improving teaching and assessment, developing lecturers¡¯ understanding of how students learn and for quality assurance. I don¡¯t think that we should hide from 바카라사이트 feedback that we receive but we need to collect student feedback in different ways to ensure that it is fit for purpose, particularly given its growing (and controversial) importance in higher education funding.??

Perhaps students 바카라사이트mselves also need more guidance and support on how to provide feedback that is usable by academics. It may be that students are perplexed about what 바카라사이트y are being asked about.?

Kingsley Purdam is an academic based in 바카라사이트 School of Social Sciences at 바카라사이트?University of Manchester. He teaches social statistics and research at undergraduate and postgraduate level and is 바카라사이트 former director of academic staff training.?

This blog is part of ongoing research into 바카라사이트 measurement of public attitudes and approaches to learning at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester. If you have received any perplexing feedback from students, please tweet @socialstatsman or email?. Make sure it is anonymised. Also, if you have any constructive feedback on this blog please share it.