As an educator, it is imperative to ensure that student feedback can be gathered and analyzed. The importance of student feedback is salient and can include – For the purposes of evaluation of a curriculum, course, class or lecturer to improve its effectiveness, in order to ensure that students feel that their opinion is being heard and that they feel that they are involved in the learning process, for the purposes of gathering student opinion to develop a picture of their pre-existing knowledge, skills, attitudes, etc.

Marsh and Dunkin (1992), for example, identified a number of purposes for collecting students’ evaluations of teaching – for diagnostic feedback about the effectiveness of teaching, to use in administrative decision making, to allow students a selection in course units and teachers, as an outcome for use in research on teaching.

It can be difficult, however, to gather student opinion in as straightforward and simple a way as possible. Frequently, long and laborious surveys can result in a low rate of completion and can undermine the entire process of gathering feedback. The use of various survey tools, offered in appropriate formats for the appropriate target group and situation can make the process a successful and simple one and can increase completion rates. This Micro-course will look at a number of tools which can be used for gathering student opinion.

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Reference 

Marsh, H. W. & Dunkin, M. J. (1992) Students’ evaluations of university teaching: a multidimensional perspective, in: J. C. Smart (Ed.) Higher education: handbook of theory and research, volume 8 (New York, Agathon Press)