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

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ASKING QUESTIONS THAT EVALUATE PERFORMANCE 237<br />

cases, before the course has ended. <strong>The</strong> exception to this rule is<br />

when instructors have informed their students that their responses<br />

will be used in such a way that will improve the ongoing course.<br />

Suggestions for Student-Administered <strong>Questionnaire</strong>s<br />

Student government representatives can administer the student rating<br />

questionnaires if the faculty or college administrators request<br />

them to do it and if they are qualified and organized enough to administer<br />

the questionnaires. Students administering the questionnaires<br />

should read a standard set of instructions and request that the<br />

instructor leave during the administration. If an administrator<br />

decides instead to designate a staff member to administer the student<br />

rating questionnaire, then the same procedure should be followed<br />

as suggested above. In general, this option should be avoided,<br />

as faculty and students tend to feel threatened if they know that an<br />

administrator is controlling and directing the administration of the<br />

questionnaires.<br />

When the questionnaire is administered, students should be<br />

given all the necessary materials (forms and no. 2 pencils). Students<br />

should generally fill out the forms in their regular classroom near<br />

the end of a particular class session. One common mistake is to<br />

hand out the questionnaire on the last day of the course. One preliminary<br />

finding is that the closer to the final exam a questionnaire<br />

is administrated, the less consistent the evaluations of the students.<br />

In addition, many students do not show up on the last day of class.<br />

It is critical that students understand that their frank and honest<br />

comments are desired. If students get the impression that the<br />

instructor is not really interested in their responses, they will not<br />

respond seriously. Along with providing an understanding of how<br />

these results are used, it is best to ask students to concentrate and to<br />

not talk as they are completing the evaluations. Not only does this<br />

underscore the seriousness of the evaluation, but it also decreases<br />

bias by not allowing students to discuss the course and instructor<br />

while filling out the questionnaires.

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