Evaluation & Reflection
How are subjects currently evaluated?
- The Online Evaluation of Subjects (OES) comprises 11 mandatory core items which is supplemented by an extensive categorised item bank. The OES is administered in every subject and in every session.
- The Student Experience Questionnaire (SEQ) is course based and has 36 items. It is administered online to students at the start of their second year into their courses.
More details on the OES and the SEQ can be found at the link below:
http://www.csu.edu.au/division/landt/evalunit/evaluation_online.htm
What are some of the challenges associated with these processes?
- Low response rates by students
- Over-reliance on data solely from online surveys
- Many subject coordinators not availing of customising facility
What can academics do about these problems and challenges?
- Adopt a more comprehensive approach to seeking feedback from students
- Demonstrate to students that their feedback is valued and used in the continuous improvement of the subjects and the teaching of these subjects
- Use other strategies for collecting data (such as one-minute surveys during the teaching session; and other sources of data such as from peers, and from self-reflection)
What can be learnt from these evaluation data?
- An awareness of students’ perceptions about a subject and its delivery
- An awareness of one’s own strengths so that these can be further enhanced
- A knowledge of the areas where more work is needed in order to enhance the quality of the subject and its teaching
- A record of trends and patterns that can inform one’s learning and teaching strategies and to also contribute to the development of a teaching portfolio
How do I communicate these changes to the students to encourage their ownership of the process?
- Inform students at the start of each new session of the changes made to the subject/teaching as a result of previous student feedback.
How are the data integrated into the improvement of teaching and learning?
- Here is an example of an actual Subject Review (.pdf) by a subject coordinator
What happens after the Subject Review?
- All Heads of Schools receive their subject reviews and then compile their respective School Reports based on these reviews.
The School Report is guided by the following headings:
- Introduction/Overview
- Evidence of good practice as reflected by positive item scores
- Problems/challenges encountered
- Areas identified as being in need of attention
- Improvements made, or to be made, as a result of OES data with possible resource implications
- Any observable trends over time
- Outlying scores (greater than 6 and those less than 4)
A copy of all School Reports for 2007 is available at the link below:
http://www.csu.edu.au/division/landt/evalunit/reportsheadschool/reportshosoes2007.pdf