This situation suggests that the disaggregation of processes and the resulting
ambiguity in the allocation of responsibilities were affecting the appropriate
management of student feedback. The success Course A showed in managing
module evaluations was due both to having a clear strategy, and the fact that there
was one person in charge of the whole process, from the design of the questionnaire
up to the reporting of results. In contrast, in Course C there was no named person
responsible, and as a result no one took care of the processes associated with the
collection of feedback.
..1 think probably [the module evaluation] fell between the cracks for this
session, because I thought...[...]... would be sent out by the development
team to all the students but it didn’t go out at all, not to our students and I
don’t know who was responsible for sending it out.’ (Tutor)
As module evaluations were the main, and often the only, mechanism by which
courses gathered feedback from students, the focus on getting more responses is
understandable. However, by not analysing and using the results effectively, the
evaluations became a meaningless procedure with no effect on the enhancement
activities of the teams.
5.2. Student representation
Student representation as a method for collecting student feedback was only in
operation in one of the case studies, and this course had a combination of online and
mixed-mode modules. Student feedback was collected through the appointment of
one or more representatives who were tasked with collating the comments from their
peers and with attending meetings.
The other three courses were fully-online and they had not implemented any form of
student representation. The reasons given by tutors for not doing this were that
students were spread around the country and abroad so they could not attend the
meetings and that the students did not know each other so they would not be able to
select their representatives. Students’ views were similar, and they also anticipated
difficulties in collecting other students’ opinions and they regarded this as a major
barrier.
In the course that did have student representation in operation tutors said that they
found problems in getting representatives to collect feedback and attend meetings,
and the students interviewed argued that the student representatives were not widely
used in this course as they were not needed because the students could always
contact the tutor directly should there be any problems or issues to comment on.
‘I would have just seen my own tutor. [.] . to be totally honest it wouldn’t
cross my mind to go through that channel [the student representative].’
(Student)
5.3. Implications for practice
E-learning course teams need to address the issues identified in this study if they are
to improve the effectiveness of their student feedback strategies.
Course teams need to address the quantity and quality of the feedback they are
getting from students from module evaluation and also more importantly they need to