Student feedback systems in higher education: a focused literature review and environmental scan

Article

Alderman, Lyn, Towers, Stephen and Bannah, Sylvia. 2012. "Student feedback systems in higher education: a focused literature review and environmental scan." Quality in Higher Education. 18 (3), pp. 261-280. https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2012.730714
Article Title

Student feedback systems in higher education: a focused literature review and environmental scan

ERA Journal ID20358
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsAlderman, Lyn (Author), Towers, Stephen (Author) and Bannah, Sylvia (Author)
Journal TitleQuality in Higher Education
Journal Citation18 (3), pp. 261-280
Number of Pages20
Year2012
Place of PublicationUnited Kingdom
ISSN1353-8322
1470-1081
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2012.730714
Web Address (URL)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13538322.2012.730714
Abstract

In recent times, higher education institutions have paid increasing attention to the views of students to obtain feedback on their experience of learning and teaching through internal surveys. This article reviews research in the field and reports on practices in other Australian universities. Findings demonstrate that while student feedback is valued and used by all Australian universities, survey practices are idiosyncratic and in the majority of cases, questionnaires lack validity and reliability; data are used inadequately or inappropriately; and they offer limited potential for cross-sector benchmarking. The study confirms the need for institutions to develop an overarching framework for evaluation in which a valid, reliable, multidimensional and useful student feedback survey constitutes just one part. Given external expectations and internal requirements to collect feedback from students on their experience of learning and teaching, the pursuit of sound evaluation practices will continue to be of interest at local, national and international levels.

Keywordsevaluation; higher education; pedagogy; quality; student feedback; surveys; teaching
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020390201. Education policy
440903. Social program evaluation
390303. Higher education
Byline AffiliationsQueensland University of Technology
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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