With new university reports compiled all the time and increasing importance being placed on student satisfaction, it is important that lecturers get their teaching style in order. While you can ask students to fill out feedback forms at the end of the last lecture or to go away and fill in online surveys, this is time-consuming and means you have to take the responses from each person’s feedback manually.
One of the best ways to collect data quickly and accurately is with an audience response system. Each student is given a handheld voting remote and asked to press the button corresponding to their answer to a question. These responses are then sent to a receiver before being processed and transformed into an on-screen result immediately. This way, everyone is able to see the overall feeling of the group of students, and the lecturer can tackle any issues straight away.
Student satisfaction is given fairly significant weighting in lots of the university league tables, and for many students it is one of the most important factors. If the students at an educational establishment aren't satisfied, it suggests that it might not be the right university for them, so the way students respond in these official surveys can have a serious impact on application patterns.
Aspects assessed in the student surveys include satisfaction with teaching style, module content, contact hours and resources available, so make sure you include these in your own feedback forms. An easy way to collect these responses can be at the end of the last lecture of the academic year before exams. Most students will probably turn up for last minute revision, so you will get the most feedback this way, and it’s quick and easy to carry out so nobody will mind doing it.
Students like to know that people are listening to them, so by asking for their feedback they will feel more appreciated. Also, it means that you are able to improve on any aspects that need work for next year’s intake. Not only does this benefit the students as it means they get the learning experience they feel would work for them, but it helps you to refine your teaching technique.
Feedback is very important, as without it problems can go unrecognized which may be highly detrimental to students’ learning. By asking a few quick questions, you can find out how you've been doing as a lecturer and what you can do to help students in the future.
Celia Griffin lectures on the subject of media law and often engages new technologies to help increase engagement in her students
