Student Feedback Surveys Research Articles

Enhancing Building Information Modeling Competency among Civil Engineering and Management Students with Team-Based Learning

In order to enhance students’ individual and team competency in building information modeling (BIM) project execution, this research adopts the team-based learning (TBL) pedagogy and aligns student learning outcomes in BIM with the hierarchy defined by Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives into a Civil Engineering and Management (CEM) capstone project under the framework of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) standards. By designing a series of BIM learning modules in accordance with the different phases of a typical project lifecycle, including design, tendering and bidding, construction, closeout, and handover, this research investigates and evaluates how TBL may help students develop essential BIM knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) and achieve a higher order of learning through role play in the contexts of a real BIM project. The four learning modules address both individual and team competency with core CEM program learning outcomes and are delivered through the TBL iterative process. The assessment of student learning and their achieved BIM competency through the capstone project are conducted with both direct and indirect measures using carefully designed grading rubrics and a student feedback survey. The research findings suggest that the combination of phased BIM learning modules and the TBL pedagogy may stimulate students’ enthusiasm and foster individual and team performance at a higher level of competency in BIM project execution. The use of a real BIM project and the role play conducted by students in the TBL also enhance students’ career preparedness by bridging the gap between BIM education in CEM programs and industry expectation on BIM competency of college graduates. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by providing empirical evidence on the efficacy of the TBL pedagogy in college BIM education and may become a valuable reference as more CEM programs seek to integrate collaborative interdisciplinary team experiences in BIM education to cultivate a more competent BIM workforce.

AN EXPLORATION OF STUDENT ATTITUDES AND SATISFACTION IN A GAISE-INFLUENCED INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS COURSE

We used the Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics to (1) evaluate using pre-semester data the Students’ Attitudes Toward Statistics Model (SATS-M), and (2) test the effect on attitudes of an introductory statistics course redesigned according to the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) by examining the change in attitudes over the semester and, using supplementary data from an annual Student Feedback Survey, testing for a change in overall satisfaction following implementation of the redesigned course. We took an exploratory rather than confirmatory approach in both parts of this study using Bayesian networks and structural equation modelling. These results were triangulated with analysis of focus group discussions and the annual Student Feedback Survey. First published November 2017 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives

Results of a Surgical Simulation Course Designed to Improve Surgery Clerkship Performance

During the 2015-2016 academic year, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVUCOM) conducted a required 1-week surgical simulation course as the first week of students' 8-week surgical clerkship. This course was adapted from a pilot RVUCOM surgical simulation course and other surgical simulation courses identified in the literature. The objectives of this course were to teach surgical skills and clinical knowledge, aid students in adjusting to the stress of a surgical clerkship, and improve students' confidence and abilities during the clerkship. In all, 148 students participated in the surgical simulation course. Subjective assessment of this course included each student completing a daily standardized stress survey and student feedback surveys at the end of the course and at the end of the surgical clerkship. Objective assessment of this course compared precourse and postcourse tests of surgical knowledge and instrument identification, as well as comparison of NBME Surgery Subject Assessment percentile ranks of this class with 3 prior classes. Daily stress surveys indicated decreased stress on day 5 compared to day 1 (p < 0.01). Students' confidence level increased significantly on day 5 compared to day 1 (p < 0.01). Student feedback surveys demonstrated students' perception that surgical skills and clinical skills had been learned during the course and that the course improved their performance during the surgical clerkship. NBME Surgery Subject Assessment percentile rank improved significantly (p < 0.01) from a mean percentile rank of 36.94 for 3 previous classes to a mean percentile rank of 43.82 for the class who completed the simulation course. Surgical knowledge improved significantly (p < 0.001) from a pretest mean score of 47.02% to a posttest mean score of 55.14%. Surgical instrument identification improved significantly (p < 0.001) from a pretest mean of 13.81% to a posttest mean of 95.28%. The RVUCOM surgery simulation course significantly improved student performance academically and helped students acclimate to stress, increase their confidence level, and acquire surgical skills needed during the third-year surgery clerkship.

Questionnaires as interventions: can taking a survey increase teachers’ openness to student feedback surveys?

Administrators often struggle in getting teachers to trust their school’s evaluation practices – a necessity if teachers are to learn from the feedback they receive. We attempted to bolster teachers’ support for receiving evaluative feedback from a particularly controversial source: student-perception surveys. For our intervention, we took one of two approaches to asking 309 teachers how they felt about students evaluating their teaching practice. Control participants responded only to core questions regarding their attitudes towards student-perception surveys. Meanwhile, treatment participants were first asked whether teachers should evaluate administrators in performance reviews and were then asked the core items about student-perception surveys. Congruent with cognitive dissonance theory, this juxtaposition of questions bolstered treatment teachers’ support for using student surveys in teacher evaluations relative to the control group. We discuss the implications of these findings with respect to increasing teacher openness to alternative evaluation approaches, and consider whether surveys show promise as a vehicle for delivering interventions.

High-touch, low-tech: Investigating the value of an in-person library orientation game

ABSTRACTSince 2011, the Kraemer Family Library at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) has offered Scrabble Scramble, an in-person, student-centered library orientation game, to incoming first-year students. This article describes our journey of developing, assessing, and refining Scrabble Scramble, which focuses on introducing first-year students to the basic services and resources of an academic library. Through analysis of student and library staff feedback survey results, this article reflects on the value of offering a student-centered, impactful, and personal orientation in an environment of rising student enrollment, steady staff numbers, and a trend to move orientation activities online.

Premedical school orientation course: A new initiative

Jeju National University Medical School, Korea, conducts a week-long orientation program for the newly admitted students, called Jeju Pre-Medical School (PMS) course. The aim of this course is to harmonize the relationship among students themselves and between professors and students and give them a chance to get exposed to the hospital and learn some basic fundamentals of medical studies. Student feedback survey was conducted right after the PMS course in the year 2011 and repeated an year later on the same students who attended the program, with the intention of understanding the student-satisfaction level with the current PMS course. The student satisfaction level dropped considerably in 2012 as compared to 2011.

The integration and evaluation of a social-media facilitated journal club to enhance the student learning experience of evidence-based practice: A case study

IntroductionNurses are required to interpret and apply knowledge so communities will receive care based on best available evidence, as opposed to care that is simply based on tradition or authority. Fostering nursing students' critical appraisal skills will assist in their capacity to engage with, interpret and use best evidence. Journal clubs are frequently used approach to engage learners with research and develop critical appraisal skills. Given new flipped and blended approaches to teaching and learning there is need to rejuvenate how research is utilised and integrated within journal clubs to maximise engagement and translation of evidence. PurposeThis paper provides a case study of a single site Australian university experience of transitioning a traditional physical journal club, to a social media-facilitated club within a postgraduate health subject to stimulate and facilitate engagement with the chosen manuscripts. Data SourcesThis case study is based on our own experiences, supported by literature and includes qualitative comments obtained via student feedback surveys during November 2015. DesignCase study. Implications for Nursing and ConclusionSocial media-facilitated journal clubs offer an efficient way to continue developing critical appraisal skills in nursing students. The integration of a social media-facilitated journal clubs increased student attention, engagement with presented activities and overall student satisfaction within this evidence-based practice subject. Future rigorously-designed, large-scale studies are required to evaluate the impact of online journal clubs on the uptake of evidence-based practice, including those resulting in improved patient outcomes.

INNOVATION AND SIMULATION-BASED TEACHING TECHNIQUE IN PATHOLOGICAL PHYSIOLOGY

Simulation-based learning in medicine has gained substantial importance. It is complementary to often limited clinical practice, and helps interconnect theoretical knowledge with practical training. Simulations are implicated in clinical subjects, but based on recent understanding, simulation can also be used in preclinical subjects, where it can support presented tasks. Simulation technology was used for elective practical sessions in a pathophysiology course, with both measurable outcomes and students’ feedback evaluated. This study was conducted in Slovakia with volunteers (n = 22), who were 3rd-year students of General Medicine (simulation group), paired with classmates in traditional seminars (control group; n = 22) with the same achievement grades. The control group had completed traditional seminars, whereas the simulation group had completed simulation-based seminars in cardiovascular pathophysiology. A standardized student feedback survey, visual analogue scale, and credit tests for regular pathophysiology were used to perform the analysis. Subjective feedback suggested positive outcomes in approximately 80% of students. An objective assessment showed that simulation-based seminars did not increase the theoretical knowledge as documented by 1st credit test (simulation vs control; 42 ± 6 vs 41 ± 4; p &gt; 0.05), but rather their approach to clinical application of obtained information and motivation to study.

Teaching distribution planning: a problem-based learning approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a problem-based learning (PBL) activity that uses a decision support system (DSS) to teach one of the most fundamental topics in distribution planning: vehicle routing. Design/methodology/approach – The authors describe their teaching experience in a logistics and supply chain management (LSCM) course. In the PBL activity proposed, students need to solve a typical vehicle routing case with no previous theoretical background taught. The paper is written as a teaching guide for other instructors, detailing how the activity may be carried out in class. Findings – The PBL activity involved students from the very beginning, challenging them to solve a rather complicated problem. Its acceptance was very positive according to the student feedback survey conducted after the activity. Only when struggling with the difficulties of the case proposed, did students really appreciate the potential value of a DSS for making better decisions. Moreover, this activity raised concerns about how DSSs must be adapted for implementation in every business scenario. Originality/value – Teaching logistics management goes beyond lecturing on elemental concepts and tools; it is also about applying this knowledge to manage things. Although several PBL initiatives have been reported to be successful in the field of LSCM, this one incorporates a web-based DSS. The main issue in PBL activities is finding authentic and representative problems to develop transferable skills, and currently most logistics problems are solved using DSS.

Assessing Research and Teaching Performance in Israel’s Higher Education System: The Case Study of Ariel University

The aim of the current study is to examine research and teaching assessments in the higher education sector from a gender perspective and specifically the associations between individual attributes (gender, age, country of birth, and tenure), academic attributes (rank and faculty), and achievements in research and teaching (measured by bonuses awarded based on research excellence and student feedback surveys). The data were collected from Ariel University, where a unique system of faculty performance evaluation was in place between 2003 and 2012. The main findings of this study point to statistically significant correlations between gender and excellence in research: Female faculty members achieved slightly higher teaching scores than male faculty members while male faculty members showed superiority in research excellence scores. We also found more male faculty members in higher ranks than female faculty members. The findings of this study suggest that female faculty members may have gender-specific factors that explain their lower research achievements, such as factors related to work-family balance at fertility age.

Plastic with personality: Increasing student engagement with manikins

Simulation allows students to practice key psychomotor skills and gain technical proficiency, fostering the development of clinical reasoning and student confidence in a low risk environment. Manikins are a valuable learning tool; yet there is a distinct lack of empirical research investigating how to enhance engagement between nursing students and manikins. To describe student perspectives of a layered, technology enhanced approach to improve the simulation learning experience. Tanner's Model of Clinical Judgment underpins the entire curriculum. This study additionally drew on the principles of narrative pedagogy. Across ten teaching weeks, five separate case studies were introduced to students through short vignettes. Students viewed the vignettes prior to their laboratory class. In the labs, manikins were dressed in the props used in the vignettes. The innovation was trialed in a second year core subject of a Bachelor of Nursing program in a large urban university in the autumn semester of 2014. Following ethics approval, students were emailed a participant information sheet. A focus group of nine students was held. The discussion was digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim prior to being subject to thematic analysis. Students' comments (143) about the vignettes in their standard subject specific student feedback surveys were also considered as data. Four themes were identified: Getting past the plastic; knowing what to say; connecting and caring; and, embracing diversity. The feedback indicated that these measures increased students ability to suspend disbelief, feel connected to, and approach the manikins in a more understanding and empathetic fashion. In addition to achieving increased engagement with manikins, other advantages such as students reflecting on their own values and pre-conceived notions of people from diverse backgrounds were realized.

Students as ambassadors and researchers of assessment renewal: puzzling over the practices of university and academic life

Engaging students as partners in learning, teaching, and curriculum renewal is driven by different agendas, and takes multiple forms. Although the research is clear on the ethical necessity of student participation in these efforts, the institutional challenges remain ongoing and writ large. This article offers an account of an innovative students-as-partners initiative at the University of Sydney, in which six undergraduates were engaged as student ambassadors to participate in and research the institution’s learning and teaching conference – the Sydney Teaching Colloquium. While students have regularly been sought out as contributors to, and representatives of, the student voice, the initiative marked a significant departure from the university’s tendency to rely on student feedback surveys and committee representation as its main institutionalised forms of student voice. Over four months, these student ambassadors worked with the central academic development unit to plan, execute, research, and evaluate a programme of activity designed to enhance authentic student participation in curriculum renewal. This article – conceived and co-written with these students – is in part, their reflective account of what they learned about universities: how they are organised and enact assessment curriculum change designed to improve student learning. Their reflections remind us that in order for them to feel genuinely engaged as partners, more needs to be done to help students learn about how and why academics and universities operate as they do.

A Teaching Supplement on Sensitivity Analysis for Linear Programming in Undergraduate Business Programs

Sensitivity analysis, a key linear programming (LP) concept, is often explained in text books using complex problem scenarios to which students have difficulty relating. Consequently, many students do not fully comprehend or appreciate the significance of shadow prices or range of optimality for objective coefficients. This adds to the challenges instructors face in promoting critical thinking, a key goal in operations research and management science courses. Limited student-faculty interactions further exacerbate the problem in online learning environments. These issues can be effectively addressed through use of simple real world examples for instruction, followed by discussion of insights and intuition behind results from these mathematical models. This is the motivation of this study, with a special focus on sensitivity analysis concepts and LP formulations. We then demonstrate its effectiveness by comparing student performance before and after exposure to this innovative teaching supplement and as well as results from a student feedback survey.

The use of modern pedagogical techniques when introducing information technology students to entrepreneurship

This paper describes the design of teaching and learning activities (TLAs) in an entrepreneurship subject offered to Information Technology (IT) students. We describe the challenges that we have encountered. Within one teaching semester, the students are expected to achieve a high level of applied knowledge in an area where they have little theoretical knowledge. We introduce TLAs that are not common in an IT curriculum. These TLAs use experience as the basis of knowledge, collaboration as the focus of learning and a reflective approach to structuring knowledge. We identify our rationale for using these new TLAs to achieve the intended learning outcomes for the subject based on the existing literature. To evaluate the effectiveness of our design, we conducted an annual survey. The results of the survey support our design. Student feedback surveys and end of course assessment results indicate that the new TLAs have enhanced the students’ learning.

Student Participation in Scholarly Communication and Library Digital Collections: A Case Study from the University of Washington Bothell Library

The University of Washington Bothell & Cascadia College Library recently partnered with a faculty member to develop a digital collection showcasing student-produced digital oral histories. This case study describes the role of the library as faculty partner, student resource, and repository/publisher. Archiving and publishing requirements—such as file formats, agreement forms, and metadata—were integrated into the assignment and included as part of each project's overall evaluation and grade. Librarians provided instruction to teach students about topics related to knowledge production and scholarly communication. Assessment included student feedback surveys and faculty feedback to librarians.

Engaging IT undergraduates in non-IT content

Purpose – This paper aims to report on the efforts made to enhance the engagement of IT students with non-IT-specific content. The mechanism to foster this engagement was the introduction of an eLearning information system (ELIS) for a finance-related subject within an IT undergraduate degree at the university. The subject developers were primarily concerned with both the learning design and the engagement of the student to enable the effective incorporation of an ELIS into the classroom. Design/methodology/approach – This interpretive research used a comparative case study as the aim was to gain an in-depth understanding of a particular situation. The research approach also allows an open-minded interpretation of the collected data as the researcher is interested in looking for the “Why and not the How”. Data were collected via an online university student feedback survey. Findings – Four key themes emerged from the data as follows: IT students learning non-IT-related content was a major driving force behind the changes to the course; staff change brought fresh eyes to the subject content and enabled improvements to occur; introducing the ELIS assisted the teaching staff to reduce preparation time while also helping students learn at the own pace; and collaborative group work helped facilitated student insights into real life work scenarios. The findings show that each of the key themes identified played a role in improving student engagement and satisfaction with the non-IT subject matter. Originality/value – The value of this paper is from its practical perspective. Engaging IT students in non-IT subject matter is a challenging proposition for which there is no simple solution. This paper shows that over a five-semester period and through a phased implementation of major changes, student satisfaction and engagement with non-IT subject matter has improved steadily. This paper is of interest, and hence value, to academics who encounter problems or issues of engaging students in non-domain-related subject matter.

The Value of Midterm Student Feedback in Cross-Disciplinary Graduate Programs

End-of-course student evaluations are frequently used to evaluate university faculty teaching. However, employing midterm student feedback has been found to be instrumental in informing faculty about instructional quality and improving student learning outcomes. This study examined and compared the effects on classroom instruction of using a midterm student feedback (MSF) survey in the graduate courses of two faculty, an untenured professor in public administration and a full professor in education. The researchers gathered data from 122 students over two years for three courses in 6 classes—4 in public administration, 2 in education. Results indicate that midterm student feedback offered insight for faculty at both levels. In addition, when faculty make instructional changes based on MSF data, students’ responses improve. Implications for future research are also discussed.

Student voice: using qualitative feedback from students to enhance their university experience

Many performance indicators in Australian higher education are based on the quantitative data from student feedback surveys, while the qualitative data usually generated by these surveys receive relatively limited attention. This paper argues that these data, if collected and analysed in a systematic way, can be used as an effective and robust institutional performance indicator and can assist in the enhancement of the student experience. The paper describes a comparative analysis of qualitative data generated at a large metropolitan multi-campus university by the annual Course Experience Questionnaire during 2001–2011. In total, approximately 78,800 student open-ended comments have been analysed via CEQuery – a software tool that facilitates analysis of the written comments. The results compared across the years allow the university to identify key trends in student experience and areas that warrant an improvement focus. The paper provides examples on how the university uses the data. It concludes that to be successful, universities should include a focus on what students have to say in their own words and incorporate such feedback into their priorities.

Placements in global health masters' programmes: what is the student experience?

Global health training is increasingly part of public health training in high-income countries, with placements as key components. We sought preliminary evidence of student placement experiences and learning through masters' programmes at the universities of Oxford and Toronto. In a mixed-methods design, we drew on existing programme records, student feedback surveys (Oxford only) and semi-structured interviews with graduates. Students participated in practice, informed policy and conducted research across a wide variety of topics, and with a range of different tasks, mostly overseas. Building on existing collaboration- or partnership-facilitated placement setup. Clear communication and face-to-face time with organizational representatives or on-site supervisors helped clarify placement objectives. Flexibility on students' and supervisors' part enabled students to take advantage of urgent public health activities for learning. Students valued the opportunity to make cross-country comparisons, to see first-hand the role of international organizations and to learn concrete skills in project design, questionnaire formulation, qualitative and quantitative analysis and writing up. Placements were valuable to public health professionals in training. We encourage other programmes to share placement experience of their students, field supervisors and host organizations.

Student feedback systems in higher education: a focused literature review and environmental scan

In recent times, higher education institutions have paid increasing attention to the views of students to obtain feedback on their experience of learning and teaching through internal surveys. This article reviews research in the field and reports on practices in other Australian universities. Findings demonstrate that while student feedback is valued and used by all Australian universities, survey practices are idiosyncratic and in the majority of cases, questionnaires lack validity and reliability; data are used inadequately or inappropriately; and they offer limited potential for cross-sector benchmarking. The study confirms the need for institutions to develop an overarching framework for evaluation in which a valid, reliable, multidimensional and useful student feedback survey constitutes just one part. Given external expectations and internal requirements to collect feedback from students on their experience of learning and teaching, the pursuit of sound evaluation practices will continue to be of interest at local, national and international levels.