Here comes the stone! Students’ perspectives towards paper-based evaluation questionnaires

Abstract

Globally, student assessment surveys are utilised to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. Student evaluation questionnaires require a substantial investment of effort from both students and teachers.  This research aims to elucidate students' attitudes towards evaluation questionnaires, hence enhancing comprehension of the quality of information in completed assessments. The research encompassed undergraduate students enrolled in a Business and Information Management program within the Faculty of Accounting and Informatics at the Durban University of Technology, Midlands Campus, South Africa. The experiences and attitudes of students about teaching evaluation questionnaires were examined through metaphorical drawings and focus group discussions. The results reveal that students possess both favourable and unfavourable opinions toward student ratings. Positive themes encompass assessments as a systematic procedure and a chance for students to propose modifications. Negative attitudes encompass perceptions of evaluations as oppressive and threatening, reflecting a lack of profound contemplation by students when filling out the questionnaire, and raising enquiries about the subsequent activities made after completing the evaluations. Findings elucidate several elements influencing student evaluations of education, including the timing of administration, the individuals responsible for providing them, and the methods employed in their administration. The document advocates for other methods of gathering student feedback and the discontinuation of paper-based surveys. Feedback may be acquired using online questionnaires and qualitative interviews. Furthermore, learning analytics technologies can be integrated into the LMS utilised for administering online surveys, facilitating the provision of tailored feedback to individual students.

Keywords: {'name': 'student evaluations'}, {'name': 'higher education'}, {'name': 'teaching and learning'}, {'name': 'information sources'}, {'name': 'undergraduate students'}, {'name': 'metaphor drawing'}, {'name': 'focus groups'}

Authors & affiliations

Boniswa Mafunda
Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)

Nkosinathi Prince Jali
Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Adele Alice Robinson
Durban University of Technology

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