student feedback and leadership - Office for Learning and Teaching

Part B: Building Leadership Capacity - BUS: School of Economics, Finance & Marketing ART Report
What did course teams do to improve student feedback and why?
Our project commenced in March 2007 with the initial stage involving the analysis
and collection of data on student feedback. This activity was undertaken during
both Semesters 1 and 2, 2007. In addition, course development initiatives
were discussed and developed in relation to this feedback as well as the
perceptions and experience of the teaching staff. The second stage focused
on the implementation of these initiatives which was undertaken by one course
(ECON1030 Business Statistics) in Semester 2, 2007 and all courses in Semester
1, 2008. An evaluation of course developments was then undertaken and further
refinements made for Semester 2, 2008. These activities will be discussed in the
following sections.
Stage 1: Analysis and Planning
The first stage of the project involved data collection and analysis relating
to student feedback as follows:
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Each course coordinator undertook analysis of the qualitative feedback from
the CES to identify both strengths and opportunities for improvement of the
student experience. Key themes which emerged included the need for
improved physical learning environments, increased learning support
from staff and more personalised feedback on progress.
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A research assistant, under the supervision of our Director of Research,
was enlisted to analyse quantitative CES data to determine key drivers
of the student experience and in particular the Good Teaching Scale (GTS).
The following CES items were found to have a positive correlation with the six
GTS items:
The course is well organised
The course contributes to my confidence in tackling
unfamiliar problems
I feel I can actively participate in my class
I can see how I’ll be able to use what I am learning in my career
Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of this course
Furthermore, on average, international students gave a higher GTS rating
than domestic students and mature students gave a higher GTS rating.
– – All teaching staff associated with the Common Core (course coordinators,
lecturers and tutors) were invited to attend a discussion forum to explore their
views of the learning experience and add to the data by including informal
feedback that teaching staff may have received. The discussion also
highlighted the challenges of teaching a large class as well as sharing
information on the strengths of each course (what works) and what
potential improvements could be made.
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