Module Feedback

Principles for Module Feedback:

1. That students must have the opportunity to give module specific feedback and engage in regular dialogue with module and programme teams.
2. That any approach should enable Schools, Programme and Module teams to meet the range of aspirations for quality assurance of modules and the quality enhancement of modules.
3. That Student feedback should be seen as a continuous evaluation and reflective process, which may be a substantial change in the University’s culture and introduced with care.
4. That Schools, Programme and Module teams should have access to a suite of mechanisms to ensure that they are able to undertake both the quality assurance and quality enhancement aspects of module evaluation.
5. That a greater focus be placed on the opportunities for informal and formal intra-module dialogue, as a mechanism for collecting earlier feedback and engaging in developmental conversations with students as partners.
6. That Schools, Programme teams should be free to use the most useful mechanism, at the most useful time to meet their specific needs, but based of best practice.
7. At no time should students be asked to judge or rate their teacher.  Student reflection must focus on the impact of the education they have received.
8. That Chairs of School Programmes Committees should be supported to undertake discussions around the continued use of end of module questionnaires (dependent on the approval of the recommendations made below) to ensure decisions are made on a sound understanding of the implications and risks.

Drivers for the collection of feedback from students.

• Quality Assurance, to provide evidence for the Annual Module Report which, as a wider part of the annual monitoring process, provides assurance to programmes and Schools that the module continues to meet the University’s standards
• Quality Enhancement, to provide evidence to the module lead/team that their module is meeting the educational needs of their students and whether previous enhancements have been successful, as well as collecting student suggestions.

Intra-module Dialogue

Guidance on mid module feedback

End of Module Questionnaire

The end of module questionnaire (also known as end of module survey) is no longer a mandatory part of the University’s quality, monitoring and enhancement framework.

In recognition of the concerns regarding conscious and unconscious bias, the use of an end of module questionnaire is done with care, and limited to the following situations:

1. Where it is a defined requirement of a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body.
2. Where the School Programme Committee identifies that it would be beneficial as a result of analysis at Programme and School level.
3. When the module is running for its first or second year of teaching, or where significant changes have been made to the learning, teaching and assessment methods.
4. When the Module Lead/team is new and it has been determined that the aspects that the School wishes to explore cannot be identified by end of Semester feedback or by other existing mechanisms

Applications from module teams to use end of module questionnaires must be submitted to School Programme Committees.  Details of discussion must be included in the minutes.