5 Ways to Increase Student Engagement Through Course Evaluations

One of the major concerns for instructors regarding course evaluations is response rates. In prior posts, we examined tactics you can implement to increase your response and completion rates. One of the best ways to strengthen participation is by increasing students’ engagement. In this post we discuss how to increase student awareness and engagement in the evaluation process.

1. Educate:

   It is important that you take time in class to educate your students on the value of course evaluations. Students may be unaware of how faculty use the results for course and teaching improvement. Clearly explain to students how their feedback will benefit students, the curriculum and the institution. Share examples of how past student feedback was implemented to effect changes in the course.

2. Tackle misconceptions:

   Students may have a variety of unfounded perceptions about course assessments, which you need to address.

   Common student misconceptions:

   • That student responses are not confidential and that feedback can negatively affect grades.
   • That instructors do not value student input and do not take evaluations seriously.
   • That the results are never reviewed or used by the instructor or institution.
   • That course assessments have no effect on instructor promotion or tenure.
   • That completing online evaluations is time consuming and inconvenient.
3. Early feedback:

   A good way to get students engaged is to seek feedback throughout the course. You could implement early or mid-term evaluations or simply add feedback exercises to the curriculum. That way, students become aware of the importance of feedback in learning and are motivated to give their opinions.

4. Devote class time:

   Schedule time into your class to complete mid and end-of-term evaluations. This is a great way to increase completion rates and address the misconception that online evaluations are time consuming. You could use class time to give a live demonstration of how to complete and submit an assessment. Giving a demonstration allows you to answer any technical questions that students may have. Further to this, you should set aside class time to fill out evaluations. You can do this by allowing students to complete assessments in class (on laptop or mobile device) or in a computer lab.

5. Share results:

   It is important that you close the feedback loop by sharing the results with your students. Communicating the results shows transparency and builds credibility for the evaluation process. If you perform mid-term assessments, you can share the feedback in class with students during the course. If you perform only end-of-term evaluations, you can share the results with students through the online system.