Discrepancies in purposes of student course evaluations: what does it mean to be “satisfied”?

Abstract

Student evaluation of teaching is a multipurpose tool that aims to improve and assure educational quality. Improved teaching and student learning are central to educational enhancement. However, use of evaluation data for these purposes is less robust than expected. This paper explores how students and teachers perceive how different student evaluation methods at a Norwegian university invite students to provide feedback about aspects relevant to their learning processes. We discuss whether there are characteristics of the methods themselves that might affect the use of student evaluation. For the purpose of this study, interviews with teachers and students were conducted, and educational documents were analysed. Results indicated that evaluation questions in surveys emerged as mostly teaching-oriented, non-specific and satisfaction-based. This type of question did not request feedback from students about aspects that they considered relevant to their learning processes. Teachers noted limitations with surveys and said such questions were unsuitable for educational enhancement. In contrast, dialogue-based evaluation methods engaged students in discussions about their learning processes and increased students’ and teachers’ awareness about how aspects of courses improved and hindered students’ learning processes. Students regarded these dialogues as valuable for their learning processes and development of communication skills. The students expected all evaluations to be learning oriented and were surprised by the teaching focus in surveys. This discrepancy caused a gap between students’ expectations and the evaluation practice. Dialogue-based evaluation methods stand out as a promising alternative or supplement to a written student evaluation approach when focusing on students’ learning processes.