Nov. 30 marked the beginning of the last two weeks of class for the majority of courses at NC. Those two weeks have traditionally been the prime time for the college to administer course feedback surveys – students’ best opportunity to provide honest, constructive feedback about the quality of their courses at NC.
This year, a brand new system has been put in place to access and administer those surveys – a move the Centre for Academic Excellence (CAE) is hoping will make it easier for students to complete the online surveys and for staff and faculty to analyze their results.
The college first made the move to online surveys in Fall 2012 – prior to that, students filled out paper surveys in class. To address a drop in survey completion rates due to challenges with the software – such as having to create a unique login and password – the college chose to partner with a new provider, CoursEval, to overhaul the online survey software.
“The difference is night and day when it comes to access and user-friendliness,” said Terri Stevens, Academic Quality Coordinator with the Centre for Academic Excellence. “Students and faculty can now access CoursEval right within Blackboard, without needing a separate login or app, and they receive direct emails notifying them when their surveys go live.”
In addition to being integrated into Blackboard, the new software can be accessed on any computer or mobile device. It also features a bevy of new analytical tools for staff and faculty to analyze the results of the surveys, and presents a cleaner, more user-friendly interface.
Students, faculty and staff can login to Blackboard, click the MyBlackboard tab, and find all their courses in the new MyCoursEval section.
The Centre for Academic Excellence has also launched a new website aimed at helping staff, faculty and students get a better grasp on the importance of the feedback gathered through the surveys. Accessible at www.niagaracollege.ca/coursefeedback, the site houses videos, FAQs and resources for students to better understand how their input is used, as well as tips and tools for faculty to help facilitate student participation.
Course feedback surveys are one of the most direct ways for students to provide critical feedback on their courses at NC. Their input helps faculty fine-tune courses for future classes, and helps college administrators plan for the future, and ensure faculty and students have the resources and supports they need. However those results are only useful if they are accurate and representative of the wider student body. Higher participation rates increase the validity of the results, meaning it’s critical that a significant number of students complete them.
“I use the student feedback to help improve certain aspects of the course, not only to make it more enjoyable, but to create a more effective learning experience,” said Sonni Tutti, professor in NC’s apprenticeship programs. “This is only possible if I get an appropriate number of responses from my students; then I know that the evaluations are not skewed by misrepresentation and student bias.”
“I’ve always felt student feedback is the most important feedback we can receive,” added CFWI professor and program coordinator Peter Rod. “After all, our students are vital members of the college community, and their experience is of paramount importance to our future planning and success.”
Course feedback surveys are open from Nov. 30 to Dec. 14, 2018 for the majority of classes. Contact the Centre for Academic Excellence with any questions by emailing [email protected].
