Improving Student Rating Response Rate: Creating a Culture of Feedback
As controversial as they can be, student ratings instruments such as the student assessment of instruction (SAI) are here to stay. Though certainly not the only measure of teaching effectiveness, decades of research support their utility ( Berk, 2005 ). A common challenge, however, is getting students to respond thoughtfully or even at all. A growing body of evidence and practice suggests the best way to get useful feedback about your teaching is to encourage it throughout the semester rather than waiting until the very end (Svinicki, 2001).
Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash
Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash
Creating a culture of feedback involves both teachers and students giving and receiving feedback.Students are used to getting feedback on assignments and exams ( though feedback is not quite the same thing as grades ) but may be less accustomed to giving feedback to instructors.There are some simple ways to encourage feedback from students. Stephen Brookfield’s Classroom Critical Incident Questionnaire asks students about moments when they were most and least engaged.There’s also an app for student feedback called Class Pulse.

Asking for feedback is the first step, responding to it is the next. If students see you take their input seriously and make changes where appropriate, they may see SAIs in a more positive light.

Berk, R.A. (2005). Survey of 12 Strategies to Measure Teaching Effectiveness. International Journal of Teaching and Learnging in Higher Education, 17(1), 48-62.

Svinicki, Marilla D. (2001). Encouraging Your Students To Give Feedback. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, (87), 17-24.