Improving the response rate of your student surveys
The main purpose of undertaking a student survey is to obtain some information from your students on their experience of the unit and/or your teaching. If 70 per cent or more of your students complete a questionnaire then you can be confident that the information gathered will be reasonably representative of the class as a whole. If the remaining students completed the questionnaire then it is unlikely that the results would change considerably. If only 50 per cent complete the questionnaire then your confidence in the results being representative must be less. If less than 50 per cent complete the questionnaire then the information collected is not particularly useful for making decisions with regard to changing your unit or teaching.
For units where the response rate is less than 50 per cent of enrolled students, results will be qualified with the statement that -
'these results can not be taken as representative of this class of students and can only be said to reflect the views of those students who completed the questionnaire'.
Suggestions for improving your response rate
Administer the survey in a class when you know a good percentage of students will be present. For example do NOT choose
- a day when students are likely to be finishing a major assignment;
- an 8.30 am timeslot;
- a public (but not university) holiday when public transport is reduced;
if you have a high proportion of mature age students, school holidays may
also be a problem;
- Melbourne Cup day at lunchtime!
- a day you are giving a test as this may bias the results.
Consider administering the questionnaire in tutorials or laboratory classes
- Tutorials and laboratory classes often have a required attendance component. Administering the questionnaire to several groups will require a little more organisation on your part, however, this may be worthwhile if the information you receive is more useful.
Give the students time to complete the questionnaire at the beginning of the class
- At the end of the class students are eager to move on, go to the library, for coffee, lunch, etc. and may leave without doing the survey.
Make students aware that you value their opinions
- Students are happy to complete the forms provided they see some use being made of the information. Tell them what changes you have made as a result of feedback from previous classes. For more information on student views, see 'What students think of the surveys'.
Beware of making assumptions about the students who do not complete the questionnaire. There may be a number of reasons why they are not in class, eg commitments in other units, comprehensive unit materials may mean they feel no need to attend, lack of interest in the lecture material, etc.
Interpreting results
Results page
Student Surveys Index
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