Reviewing and responding to student feedback

Student feedback comes in many forms including:

• Student rep feedback – sought yourself, or passed on through the student rep reports submitted to LUSA in week 5
• Mid-semester feedback – gathered in class or online (see our previous tip on mid-semester feedback)
• Informal conversations with students – during class, in your office, or via email
• Assessment – where are your students performing well and where are they not performing so well

Responding to student feedback is about improving the student learning experience. Steps that you can take to review and respond to feedback include:

1. Summarise the feedback

Summarise the main points made by students and their suggestions for change or improvement as well as any thoughts you have about changes or improvements that could be made.

2. Identify areas for change

Identify areas of your course (e.g. course design, assessment, student engagement, or course delivery) that could be changed in response to the feedback. Think about what specifically you could change and when you will be able to implement the change/s.

3. Discuss the feedback

Take some time to discuss the feedback and your intended response with a colleague, your line manager, or a member of the Teaching Quality team. They may have some alternative suggestions. 

4. Finalise the changes

Finalise the changes that will be made and how specifically you will make the change. For example, you can improve the clarity of assessment requirements by including a detailed marking rubric. See Teaching at Lincoln Assessment Support for examples of marking rubrics.

Make a note of any changes that are not able to be made until the next course offering. You may not be able to address all the points raised in the feedback – make a note of why so you can explain this to your students. 

5. Share your plans with your students

When teaching resumes after the mid-semester break, discuss the process you used to review the feedback and your plans for change. Remember to explain why some changes are not able to be made.

If you would like to discuss your response to student feedback, please contact Teaching Quality, Teaching.Quality@lincoln.ac.nz.