Asking Questions - The Definitive Guide To Questionnaire Design ...

236 ASKING QUESTIONS
have questions about how to lay out the feedback form, consult a
skilled questionnaire developer. Figure 7.8 shows a student-designed
feedback form that has been successfully used to evaluate professors
in a consistent manner.
Administrating Student Feedback Forms
Whenever possible, managing and directing a campuswide program
of administering teacher evaluations should be the responsibility of
either the institution’s chief academic officer or of instructional
development, evaluation, or testing personnel. The responsibility
should not be given to students or faculty in individual departments
or colleges. When students or faculty administer teaching evaluations,
the application of the ratings becomes restricted, and the possibility
of a lasting program with consistent benchmarks is reduced.
When Should Questionnaires Be Administered?
The manner in which the questionnaire is administered and collected
can determine the quality of the resulting data. It is generally
best to formally administer the questionnaires by providing a standard
set of instructions and allowing enough class time to complete
all the items. If the questionnaire is offhandedly administered without
standard instructions and a designated time to fill it out, the students
tend to place that same amount of effort in their responses. It
is also worth noting that if students are permitted to take the questionnaire
home to fill it out, and to return it at the next class meeting,
only a particular type of student who is energetic and proactive
will return it.
If the instructors administer their own questionnaires, they
should read a standard set of instructions and leave the room after
selecting a student to gather the completed questionnaires and
deliver them to a central location. Students tend to hold back their
true impressions of the course and instructor if they feel that the
instructor will see them at the end of that class period or, in some