5 Reasons Why Students Prefer Online Course Evaluations

In a previous post we examined ways to increase student engagement and participation in course evaluations. A component of increasing participation is by addressing common student misconceptions of course assessments. Tackling those misconceptions by addressing them in your communication plan will help improve your course evaluation response rates.

This brings us to an interesting question: do students like using online course evaluations? Based on research conducted by Donovan, Mader & Shinsky (2007) the majority of students (88.4%) preferred completing online course evaluations over paper-based assessments. Only 11.6% of the students in the study preferred the traditional, paper-based format. Today’s post will examine the reasons why students prefer using online course evaluations from ‘convenience’ to ‘saving paper’.

1. They are convenient:

   One of the top reasons students prefer online evaluations is that they are convenient and easy to complete. They like that they can fill out the questionnaire on their own time, when they choose. Students like the online format as it’s quicker to complete and they do not have to spend time filling out the paper bubble sheets. Accessibility also plays a factor in this as students are happy they can complete evaluations through a variety of devices (mobile devices, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, etc.).

2. They provide anonymity:

   Students prefer online assessments because they feel they are more anonymous than paper evaluations. Completing the evaluation online eliminates the worry that their handwriting will be recognized (which they perceive could negatively affect them). Students feel more comfortable giving honest feedback as they perceive online evaluations as having an additional level of anonymity. The fact that online assessments can be completed outside of class gives students further privacy, which they appreciate.

3. They give more time:

   The data we have collected indicates that students feel rushed in completing evaluations in class. Often the instructor or teaching assistant is waiting to collect the sheets and students are eager to leave. This makes students feel they should complete the evaluation quickly. This aspect is eliminated by using online assessments. Students appreciate not feeling rushed and having more time to complete their answers. The outcome is more open-ended comments in the feedback.

4. There is no outside influence:

   Students prefer completing evaluations online because there is more privacy and no external influences. There is less possibility of faculty or peer influence on the responses when students complete the assessments outside of class. According to research conducted by Donmeyer, Baum, Hanna & Chapman (2004), online evaluations are less susceptible to faculty influence. Donmeyer et. al. (2004) suggest that an instructor can influence results by doing something in class on the day of the assessment (i.e. a party, game, etc.).

5. They save paper:

   Though less cited as a primary reason to choose online evaluations, students did indicate that saving paper was important. Many students stated that they liked the idea of using online questionnaires because it saves paper and is environmentally-friendly. They enjoy being part of a process that is helping save trees and resources.