EDUCATION SUPPORT UNIT

INFORMATION ABOUT

Guidelines for Direct Feedback from Students

Approved by Senate 12.03.01

Also available as a Word document

University of Bristol

GUIDELINES FOR DIRECT FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS

1. Introduction

The following Guidelines have been developed by the Faculty Quality Assurance Teams, based on their work with departments. The Guidelines are intended to cover some of the wider aspects of direct student feedback at departmental level, including:
  • Staff/student committees
  • Questionnaires
  • Use of the personal tutor system
  • Student forums or similar events
  • Informal feedback
Indirect feedback, such as that available from statistical information, external examiners, graduates and employers, is not covered in these guidelines.
2. Recommended feedback processes
The principles underlying the recommended procedures below are that: student feedback should occur, be seen to occur and should have outcomes which are recorded and fed back to students. Within these principles, the need for flexibility and for departmental autonomy is recognised.

The following are examples of feedback processes which support these needs and enable the principles to be satisfied.

2.1 STAFF/STUDENT COMMITTEES
The University's Teaching and Learning Guidelines state in Section B, "Students should be encouraged to be involved in departmental decision-making processes, for example, through the Union's Student Representative scheme and membership of University, faculty and departmental committees."

In practice, the majority of departments use staff/student committees successfully. Some departments integrate the staff/student liaison activity by co-opting student representatives to departmental committees and this appears to work effectively. In other, usually larger, departments, students are members of departmental teaching and other committees. However, Student Representatives have identified a concern: in those departments where recommendations go from staff/student committees to a departmental meeting and there is no student representation at the departmental meeting, there is no opportunity for students to contribute to the final discussion of these recommendations.

Departments are recommended, wherever possible, to use staff/student liaison committees for obtaining student feedback, and to co-opt students to departmental committees to enable balanced follow-up discussions of particular recommendations to take place. It is important that, in staff/student forums such as departmental committees, students are not outnumbered by staff. All student membership on departmental committees has the particular advantage of enabling problems to be put right quickly, to the advantage of current students. It is recommended that staff/student committees should include both undergraduate and postgraduate representatives, and that the undergraduate representatives might be the Student Representatives appointed in consultation with the Students' Union.

It is also recommended that minutes of such meetings be taken and published on departmental noticeboards and web sites where appropriate. Matters raised at meetings of staff/student committees which relate specifically to aspects of teaching and learning should be reported on to the appropriate departmental and/or faculty committee.

2.2. QUESTIONNAIRES
As stated in the University’s Teaching and Learning Guidelines in Sections B and F, it is University policy to encourage the use of student questionnaires to collect feedback. The University believes it is good practice to use anonymous questionnaires. Two draft questionnaires are appended to these Guidelines: one to be used on completion of a unit; the other on completion of a programme. Departments are recommended to use both, but to adapt them to their particular needs, and to follow the notes of guidance for use of questionnaires set out below. When adapting the draft questionnaires, departments should be aware that they have been drawn up with the needs of TQA/Subject Review in mind and therefore extensive revision may dilute the efficacy of the questionnaires.
2.2.1 Timing
It is recommended that Departments do not ask students to complete questionnaires at too frequent intervals, so as not to lead to `questionnaire overload'.

End of programme questionnaire
The `end of programme' questionnaire is designed for use at the end of a programme of study but could be adapted for use at the end of a year if required. It is recommended that the questionnaire be issued in a formal teaching session and that students be allowed sufficient time to complete it during that session. It is often helpful if academic staff leave the room while students are completing questionnaires (programme or unit) and when a designated student is asked to collect questionnaires and return them in a sealed envelope to the departmental office.

Unit questionnaire
It is important that students should not be asked to complete too many unit questionnaires. It is recommended that a sampling approach be adopted, to give a range of responses from a variety of students taking each unit and that departments develop a co-ordinated approach to this in consultation with other departments teaching the same students. It is not considered necessary for all units to be evaluated in this way annually, although a regular pattern of use of questionnaires should be developed.

As with end of programme questionnaires, it is necessary to give students time in a timetabled teaching session to complete a unit questionnaire. It is also helpful to give them advance warning that they will be asked to undertake this task, both at the beginning of a unit and just before they are asked to complete the questionnaire.

The sample Unit Questionnaire attached is intended to be comprehensive and is not suitable for being issued to all students at the end of each unit (see comment on overload in section 2.1 above). Some departments may wish to use selection of the questions included, for quantitative regular feedback, but it is recommended that, overall, a sampling approach should be adhered to.

2.2.2 Format
If students are unenthusiastic about completing questionnaires, it is sometimes helpful to consider the format and circumstances in which they are issued. Section 2.1 deals with the issue of allowing students timetabled slots in which to complete questionnaires.

One possible method for issuing end of year or end of programme questionnaires is to insert a tear-out questionnaire at the end of the Programme Handbook for that year and ask students to complete it at the appropriate time. This system has a number of advantages, in particular enabling students to think about the feedback being requested as the programme is progressing. Alternatively, in some departments, especially those where electronic mail and other IT applications are regularly used, it may be most effective and efficient to ask students to complete questionnaires electronically. Setting up such a system may take time, but once in place can have a number of advantages: it makes the task more interesting to students, reduces the costs of data entry and quantitative results are easier to analyse.

2.2.3 Analysis
There are a variety of methods in use for analysing questionnaires. It is considered important that departments decide for themselves how to achieve the most effective analysis of the data collected but the following points should be taken into account:
  • Both quantitative and qualitative analysis are required.
  • The appropriate member of staff should be involved in analysis but should not be the only person to see results of feedback; other members of staff who will find it helpful to see results are programme or unit directors, those involved in curriculum design, planning and review and the Head of Department.
  • Results of questionnaires can be helpful in the staff review process and in supplying information on teaching abilities for promotion purposes.
  • Involving students in the process of analysis has been found helpful in some departments.
2.2.4 Feedback to students
Providing students with feedback as a result of completion of questionnaires is essential. Not only does this fulfil the department's part of the questionnaire `contract', it offers an incentive to students for completing the questionnaire and also very importantly provides evidence that feedback has been sought and that issues raised are being pursued.

Where possible, it is good practice to state on the questionnaire how feedback will be provided to students. Some suggestions for channels for providing feedback are: through the staff/student committee; posting details on student noticeboards; utilising the departmental web site.

In some departments, students are asked to administer the questionnaire process and this can prove very effective.

2.3 TUTORIAL SUPPORT
In every department tutorial support is provided. One of the tasks of tutors is to receive feedback from individual students and to take steps to resolve concerns or raise awareness of good practice. It is recommended that departments clarify the role of tutors (or their equivalent), ensure that regular tutorials are arranged, and use student questionnaires to determine whether the system is working effectively. Please also see the University’s Notes of Guidance for Personal Tutors and their Tutees.
2.4 STUDENT FORUMS
This has proved a very effective mechanism for providing feedback in a number of departments. Such events usually provide retrospective discussion of programmes and can be held annually after summer examinations, or at any other time a department thinks is appropriate. As with staff/student committees, forums provide immediate feedback on a wide variety of aspects of the students' experience, both academic and pastoral. It is often helpful if the discussions which take place at these events are recorded, even if informally. This enables the department to focus clearly on the issues raised and to take appropriate action.
2.5 OTHER MECHANISMS
A number of departments have systems of informal feedback which operate alongside the more formal ones outlined above. These include
  • Use of the tutorial system for receiving informal feedback
  • Use of a departmental room where staff and students can have coffee/tea and informal discussions
  • In small departments, or where there is close student/staff contact, informal feedback is much easier to obtain: staff and students see one another regularly and have greater opportunities for discussion.
  • One or two departments use Newsletters very effectively, both to inform students and to receive feedback.
Departments are asked to use the above recommendations for use of direct student feedback, in consultation with the University’s Teaching and Learning Guidelines.

Revisions approved by Senate 12.03.01

Originally FQAT/94/5

University of Bristol

Programme Evaluation Questionnaire

Programme to which you were admitted : .......................................................................................................................

Your present Programme (if different) : ..........................................................................................................................

Please return questionnaire to : [name] .............................................................................. by : [date] ......................

The purpose of asking you to fill in this questionnaire is to provide the Department with feedback on the programme you have completed and which will enable us to:


1. Strengths of the programme; please list three things you think should be continued:


2. Weaknesses of the programme; please suggest three improvements which could be made:


3. How could the curriculum have been improved: please comment specifically on the content of the curriculum.


4. How well-prepared do you feel for the next stage in your career?


5. How could the teaching have been improved? Please give brief details:


6. How well did the teaching and learning methods you experienced prepare you for the assessment (of units and of the programme as a whole)? Please give brief details:


7. What were your impressions of the University’s administrative and student services (e.g. central administration, academic services such as library and computing centre and welfare services such as Student Counselling, Student Health and Careers Services?



Please circle a single number corresponding to the following scale which indicates your perception of the programme as a whole in relation to the questions asked :

5 = excellent 4 = good 3 = acceptable 2 = limited & in need of modification

1 = deficient & in need of substantial change 0 = no opinion







8. The Library and its services were ............................5............... 4............... 3................ 2............. 1.............. 0

9. The Computing Service was ...................................5................ 4............... 3................ 2............ 1............... 0

10. In terms of your own learning, how helpful were:

essays ...................................................5................ 4................ 3................ 2............ 1............... 0

presentations......................................... 5................ 4................. 3............... 2............ 1............... 0

project work......................................... 5................ 4..................3.............. 2............. 1............... 0

dissertation ............................................5................ 4................. 3.............. 2............. 1............... 0

examinations .........................................5................. 4................. 3.............. 2............. 1............... 0

11. The usefulness of the Departmental
handbook was ..........................................................5................. 4................. 3............... 2............. 1.............. 0

12. The intellectual stimulus of the degree
course was ...............................................................5.................. 4................. 3...............2............. 1............... 0

13. My overall rating of this degree course is............. 5.................. 4................. 3.............. 2............. 1............... 0


14. Please add any additional comments you think would be helpful, either relating to the programme as a whole, or in particular to anything rated 1 and/or 2 above:

..................................................................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................................

The information you provide on this form will be used principally for the purposes of evaluating this programme. Information provided by students may also be used for the purpose of staff review and development, and you are asked to consider carefully any comments you make.

Thank you for responding to this questionnaire.

GUIDE006

Department of
UNIT QUESTIONNAIRE

The information you provide on this form will be used principally for the purposes of evaluating this unit. Information provided by students may also be used for the purpose of staff review and development, and you are asked to consider carefully any comments you make.

Title of unit:
Academic year (eg 1994/95)
Lecturer[s] contributing to the teaching of the unit:

To which of the following categories do you belong? Please tick (as many as are appropriate):

Full-time single honours undergraduate
Full-time joint honours undergraduate
Postgraduate
Mature
Part-time
Occasional and/or Study Abroad
Is this a Mandatory or Optional unit for you? Please ring:
M O

1. Did you receive an outline of the unit when/before it began, including teaching aims, assessment objectives and a summary of what you could expect to have achieved by the end (ie learning outcomes)?

If so:

  • was the information given adequate YES/NO

  • were aims, objectives and learning outcomes achieved YES/NO

  • did you gain what you expected from the unit? YES/NO

If the answer to any of these three questions is NO, please say why:



2. What were the three aspects of the unit you enjoyed most? Please give reasons wherever you can.



3. What were the three aspects you enjoyed least? Please give reasons wherever you can.


4. Were there any obvious gaps in the material covered that you expected to be included?


5. Was there any aspect of the unit on which you thought too much or not enough time was spent? Please be specific.

6. Were you given a reading list? YES/NO

If so, was it helpful? YES/NO

Were books, serials and other materials easily available? YES/NO

Did you use the main library or your departmental library, or both? Please specify

Did you use the library short-term loan system? YES/NO

7. How successful were the teaching and learning methods used in this unit? If they were not particularly successful, how do you think they could be improved?

In your view, were they well integrated with methods of assessment?


Were you aware from the beginning of the unit what assessment methods would be used, how they would affect your final degree classification (if appropriate) and when assessment would take place?

Was written work you handed in [such as essays] returned to you speedily and were comments helpful? YES/NO How many lectures did you attend?

8. Were lectures audible? YES/NO

Were the lecturers well-prepared? YES/NO

Did the lecturers/classes hold your attention? If not, please say why YES/NO

Was the content of classes understandable? YES/NO

If you had difficulty with any part of the unit, did you receive adequate help? Please be specific.

If laboratory or other practical classes were part of this unit, were resources adequate and did you have sufficient materials to do the work that was required? Please give brief details.
How many hours of private study did you do in relation to this unit?

9. Were classes supplemented by tutorials and seminars? If so, did these sessions help your understanding of the content of the unit as a whole?

10. How well did this unit fit in with your programme of study as a whole? 11. If this unit relates to a placement outside the University which is part of your programme, please say what contact with/support from your Department you experienced during the placement. 12. Please add any other comments you think would be helpful.

GC/5.12.94