ÌðÐÄÖ±²¥

Intent

ÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ is committed to a University-wide approach to gathering feedback from students about their experiences of subjects and teaching and providing a timely response in consideration of their feedback.

This policy sets out the use of institutional survey instruments (YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ on the PULSE, YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Subject and YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Teaching Surveys) to provide insights into the ÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ student experience of subjects and teaching for the primary purpose of enhancing the quality of subjects and teaching. The institutional surveys provide a mechanism for students, as stakeholders, to contribute to the continuous improvement of subjects and teaching.

Institutional survey data also supports benchmarking capability against sector wide student experience data and provides one source of evidence of teaching performance in curriculum review, recruitment, performance development and promotions processes.

Scope

This policy applies to the collection and use of YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey data for all enabling, sub-degree, undergraduate and postgraduate coursework subjects taught at ÌðÐÄÖ±²¥.

Definitions

YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ on the PULSE survey: an online survey deployed to students prior to census date of a study period to collect feedback on their early experiences of their studies within a subject. Resulting data is formative.

YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Subject Survey: an online survey deployed to students towards the end of a study period to collect feedback on their learning experiences within a subject.

YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Teaching Survey: an online survey deployed to students towards the end of a study period to collect feedback on a student’s experience of teaching within a subject. Teaching staff (other than ÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Singapore) must opt-in for a teaching survey to be deployed. ÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Singapore teaching staff will be automatically opted in to the YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Teaching survey.

YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey Suite: a set of surveys constructed to seek feedback on the student experience of subjects and teaching, comprising: YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ on the PULSE, YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Subject Survey, YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Teaching Survey

TRDB: Teaching Roles Data Base. Information contained in this database determines the relationship a teaching staff member has with a subject for survey purposes.

Teaching Staff: staff listed in the TRDB as a Subject Coordinator, Lecturer or Tutor

Principles

This policy is articulated according to six principles:

1. Feedback on the student learning experience will be collected for all campuses, modes and study periods offered by the University.
2. Students have rights and responsibilities in relation to providing and receiving YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey data.
3. Teaching staff have rights and responsibilities in relation to receiving and acting upon YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey data.
4. Divisions and Colleges have rights and responsibilities in relation to receiving and acting upon YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey data.
5. Participation by a representative sample of the student cohort is fundamental to obtaining reliable YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey data.
6. More than one source of evidence is required for evaluating and enhancing the quality of subjects and teaching

Policy

1. Feedback on the student learning experience is collected for all eligible subjects across campuses, modes and study periods.

1.1 Each study period, all ÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ coursework subjects with current enrolments will be surveyed via the YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ on the PULSE survey, prior to census date.

1.2 Each study period, all ÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ coursework subjects with current enrolments will be surveyed via the YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Subject Survey.

1.3 Teaching staff must opt-in to participate in a student evaluation of their teaching via the YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Teaching Survey at least once per calendar year.

1.4 The YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ suite of surveys is the primary instrument used for the collection of data from students about their experiences of subjects and teaching at ÌðÐÄÖ±²¥. The use of any survey instruments other than Your ÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ surveys is solely the responsibility of the academic staff administering them and should be done in consideration of other institutional surveys that may be in progress, as per the YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey Calendar.

2. Students have rights and responsibilities in relation to providing and receiving YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey data.

2.1 Students have the right to:

a) Access a personalised, secure and easy to use platform for providing confidential feedback on subjects and teaching practices;

b) Receive a response from teaching staff on the feedback submitted for YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ on the PULSE. This response should be communicated within five university working days of the PULSE survey closing;

c) Receive aggregate YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Subject Survey reports in accordance with the YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey Distribution List;

d) Be informed that YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey data will be collected and used for the purposes of enhancing the quality of learning and teaching and may also be used for promotion applications and excellence awards;

e) Be informed about the changes made to learning, teaching and assessment design, in response to previous cohorts’ YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey data, in the subject outline;

f) Be informed about what constitutes effective and constructive feedback to support continuous quality improvement of subjects and teaching and in accordance with the Student Charter.

2.2 Students have a responsibility to:

a) Provide considered and constructive feedback about their experiences of subjects and teaching in accordance with the Student Charter.

b) Provide feedback in a manner consistent with the University’s expectations of students in respect of academic, personal and professional behaviour identified in the Student Code of Conduct.

3. Teaching staff have rights and responsibilities in relation to receiving and acting upon YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey data.

3.1 Teaching staff have the right to:

a) Receive YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey reports in accordance with the YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey Distribution List;

b) Submit a written request to the Manager, Quality Assurance and Evaluation for the removal or redaction of open-ended YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey responses if they include malicious comments including threatening, intimidating, abusive or discriminatory content. Student feedback that is negative but not malicious is not eligible for removal after publication.

3.2 Teaching staff have a responsibility to:

a) Review YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ on the PULSE, Subject and Teaching Survey data in order to enhance the quality of subjects and teaching;

b) Inform students of actions undertaken in response to YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ on the PULSE data prior to census and to learning, teaching and assessment design in response to YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Subject data in the subject outline for the subsequent year of subject delivery.

4. Divisions and Colleges have rights and responsibilities in relation to receiving and acting upon YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey data.

4.1 Divisions and Colleges have the right to receive YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey reports in accordance with the YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey Distribution List.

4.2 Divisions and Colleges have a responsibility to:

a) Participate in determining benchmarks for YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey results at different year levels and cohort sizes (as endorsed by Education Committee);

b) Acknowledge staff who achieve high student satisfaction scores or have demonstrated significant improvement in satisfaction scores;

c) Identify subjects that have received low student satisfaction scores. These subjects will be reviewed in accordance with the Academic Quality Framework and Processes to enhance the quality of learning and teaching.

5. Participation by a representative sample of the student cohort is fundamental to obtaining reliable YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey data.

5.1 Student participation in the YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey suite will be promoted by teaching staff, Course Coordinators and College Deans.

5.2 Innovative and appropriate communication strategies will be used across the institution to promote the YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ survey suite to all students to facilitate strong response rates.

6. More than one source of evidence is required for evaluating and enhancing the quality of subjects and teaching.  

6.1 All YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ surveys are conducted within the context of the subject being taught. As a consequence, interpretation of subject and teaching feedback needs to consider the impact of contextual variables on the scores obtained and comments made, before conclusions are reached.

6.2 More than one source of evidence is required for evaluating and enhancing the quality of subjects and teaching. Teaching staff are required to collect and document multiple forms of evidence of the quality of subjects and teaching (e.g. evidence of student learning, evidence of curriculum enhancement or transformation, evidence from peer review and scholarship of learning and teaching and other relevant professional indicators. See the 4Q Model of Evaluation ).

6.3 YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Subject and Teaching Survey Likert-scale results, as well as YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Subject Survey open-ended responses, will be incorporated into annual Performance and Development Planning conversations for all teaching staff.

6.4 YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Subject and Teaching Survey data will be incorporated into the three yearly peer review of a subject’s assessment plans and grading practices as well as the cyclical three year subject review in accordance with the Academic Quality Framework and Processes (see also Learning, Teaching and Assessment Procedures 2.4.2).

6.5 YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey data must not be used as the sole source of evidence for decisions regarding promotion, tenure or contract renewal.

6.6 Any use of YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey data for research purposes must be supported by an Ethics Approval Notice from the ÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Human Research Ethics Committee.

Related policy instruments

Student Evaluation of Subjects and Teaching Procedure

YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey Distribution List

YourÌðÐÄÖ±²¥ Survey Calendar

Student Charter

Learning, Teaching and Assessment Policy

Academic Promotion Policy 

Related documents and legislation

Administration

NOTE: Printed copies of this policy are uncontrolled, and currency can only be assured at the time of printing.

Approval Details

Revision History