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The 1 st National Quality Assurance Conference November 17-18, 2011 Student Feedback on Teaching and Learning at The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus Sandra Ingrid Gift and Candice Hickson Quality Assurance Unit The UWI 1 Slide 2 Various mechanisms to collect student feedback Focus on: Surveys conducted by the Quality Assurance Unit Questionnaire Sample of convenience Findings based on feedback from 718 students 2 Slide 3 The questionnaire: open-ended questions: Strengths Weaknesses Most Valued aspects Disliked aspects Other comments Suggestions and Recommendations for Improvement 3 Slide 4 Emphasis on the learners perspective Student participation in the review process is enshrined as a value. students as a whole provide a thoughtful perspective on their own experience at an institution.(Kane, Williams & Cappuccini-Ansfield, 2008, p.154 ) 4 Slide 5 Student feedback ought not to be considered in isolation of students level of engagement, commitment and interest in their programmes of study (Tomasco (1980), and Calderon et al., (1996) cited in Keane & Mac Labhrainn, 2005,) 5 Slide 6 Teaching made up of multiple factors: The following identified as important: Subject matter mastery Curriculum development Course design Delivery of instruction Availability to students and Administrative arrangements (Cashin,1989, cited in Keane & Mac Labhrainn, 2005,p.6) 6 Slide 7 Dimensions of effective teaching are considered to be: Learning value Instructor enthusiasm Group interaction Individual rapport Organisation/clarity Breadth of coverage, Examinations/grading Assignments/readings and Workload difficulty (Marsh, 1984 cited in Keane & Mac Labhrainn, 2005,p.6) 7 Slide 8 Effective teachers are said, inter alia, to Treat students with respect and caring Use active, hands-on student learning Vary their instructional modes Provide frequent feedback to students on their performance Offer real-world practical examples (Seldin, 1997a in Seldin, 1999, p.3 cited in Keane & Mac Labhrainn, 2005, pp.6-7) 8 Slide 9 ANALYSIS OF STUDENT FEEDBACK 9 Slide 10 UNDERGRADUATESRECENT GRADUATES HUMANITIES AND EDUCATION 10 32% 12% 36% 13% 8% Slide 11 UNDERGRADUATESRECENT GRADUATES 11 14% 12% 10% 17% 15% HUMANITIES AND EDUCATION Slide 12 UNDERGRADUATESRECENT GRADUATES 12 25% 12% 11% 12% 16% 32% HUMANITIES AND EDUCATION Slide 13 UNDERGRADUATESRECENT GRADUATES 13 18% 16% 9% 8% 14% 26% HUMANITIES AND EDUCATION Slide 14 UNDERGRADUATESRECENT GRADUATES 14 15% 11% 10% 8% 17% 21% HUMANITIES AND EDUCATION Slide 15 UNDERGRADUATESRECENT GRADUATES ENGINEERING 15 23% 21% 13% 27% 20% 18% Slide 16 UNDERGRADUATESRECENT GRADUATES 16 24% 17% 12% 10% 15% 33% ENGINEERING Slide 17 UNDERGRADUATESRECENT GRADUATES 17 16% 15% 13% 10% 12% 31% ENGINEERING Slide 18 UNDERGRADUATESRECENT GRADUATES 18 32% 11% 6% 23% 11% ENGINEERING Slide 19 UNDERGRADUATESRECENT GRADUATES 19 16% 13% 12% 20% 14% 12% ENGINEERING Slide 20 CONCLUSION Students do indeed provide a thoughtful perspective on their own teaching and learning experience Students identify for themselves the various dimensions of effective teaching Student feedback can appear to be contradictory and difficult to interpret without full information about the reasons for their responsesthe more qualitative comments, the better. The UWI should consider benchmarking student satisfaction over time in a consistent feedback cycle. 20 Slide 21 THANK YOU VERY MUCH! 21