Learning and Teaching Toolkit

At a Student Survey Steering Group meeting it was noted that module evaluations provided specific challenges, including the dates when they run, response rates and the limited improvements arising as a result and therefore needed to be reviewed. It was agreed that a working group should be tasked with considering Module Evaluations. As a result, the Programme Monitoring and Evaluation Pilot Group was established which had representation from each faculty (L4 – L8) LLS, the Student Union and BIMI.

After reviewing current provision, QAA advice and guidance and some wider literature it was proposed that modules should be monitored by programme teams, locally, at module level at a point in time when feedback could be responded to, and adaptations made where appropriate. The Guiding Principles were established to support the development of the module monitoring approaches. The pilot was successful, and the recommendations presented to the Student Experience Forum agreed, leading to the revised approach to module monitoring. Moving forwards programme teams can choose their approach to collating feedback whilst ensuring they follow the guiding principles. To support with this teams may want to use the examples given on this page.

Headlines

What does this mean for Module Leaders?

No more automated Evasys surveys
Module Leaders to ensure that interim module feedback is collected in dialogue with students
Flexibility in the style and approach to gathering feedback using the Guiding Principles
Ensure that the feedback is documented and responded to using the module monitoring feedback template

What does this mean for Programme Leaders?

PLs to work with MLs to ensure that there are tangible opportunities for students to provide interim feedback on each module
Teams can utilise a variety of strategies for this, ensuring dialogue between students and staff
Student voice meetings should provide opportunity for module feedback to be discussed
Annual programme level survey (NSR) will be rolled out and PLs to facilitate structured opportunity for students to complete this

What does this mean for Students?

Students should have the opportunity to provide interim feedback on each module that they are studying
Feedback will likely be collected in different ways on each module, enabling students to have a dialogue with staff
Module feedback will be discussed in Student Voice meetings.

Guiding Principles

Modules across all programmes and levels will be monitored mid-point by module teams so that feedback can be responded to and adaptations made. Working within the Guiding Principles each programme team can establish different approaches to collating feedback in each module, the rationale being that this will reduce fatigue with one approach and promote engagement.

	The module monitoring approach will:
1.	Enable appropriate changes to modules to be made because of cohort feedback whilst the module is still running.
2.	Facilitate dialogue between students and staff.
3.	Benefit the student experience by increasing the value to students of them providing feedback
4.	Increase the ownership of module Leaders and the wider programme team in the process.
5.	Inform Programme/Subject Leaders and wider university services and be a key part of the annual programme evaluation process.

Module Monitoring Examples

Below are some examples that teams may wish to consider when designing their approach to module monitoring. These are taken from approaches used by the Pilot Groups whilst following the Guiding Principles and from existing practice in the institution and elsewhere. They are not exhaustive, and we will continue to collect good practice and add to the examples.

Padlet/MS Forms/Google Forms

The use of online tools/platforms provides an opportunity to ask specific questions to students ahead of a planned opportunity for further discussion in class. This approach can be beneficial as it gives students an opportunity to consider their feedback ahead of and can be used as prompts during the discussion.

Class Discussion

Can be used to record student feedback in relation to specific areas, including – teaching style/methods, module content, assessments, and support. This can be done with a member or staff present throughout, with a student leading the conversation or with the students having a discussion without an academic present to begin with and the tutor joining at an agreed time later.

Class Representatives

A padlet (or similar) is used to collect feedback about a module from all students in a module. Class representatives then have a discussion about this with the module team.

MIC (Maintain, Improve Change)

The MIC process can be used to gain immediate feedback at the mid-point of a module.
Students are asked which aspects of the module work well and should be maintained; which aspects are good but could be improved; and which aspects are in need of change. This approach works well as a Google Jamboard activity to support anonymity or the Jamboard can be used as a pre-activity before further discussion with the students. Should you wish to discuss the MIC approach further, please contact Dom Murphy (Senior Lecturer in Education): Dominic.Murphy@northampton.ac.uk.

Jamboard

An idea that has been successful with Level 5 and 6 students is the use of Jamboard. Jamboard can be used to get feedback from students on the first day of their module about what we can do to support them to achieve their aims a) in the feedback we give and, b) in any other areas.

This can then be revisited with students at the mid-module reviews and even in the last session of the year as a you said/we did/has it helped?/do we need to do more approach. It works well as part of the MIC approach.

If you want to find out more about this approach please contact Dom Murphy from the Faculty of Health, Education and Society: Dominic.Murphy@northampton.ac.uk.

BALT Introduction Day – feedback September 2022

Please click image to enlarge.

Student Led Module Evaluation Approach

In this example the module team/tutor work with students to co-develop the monitoring approach using the Guiding Principles.

Diamond 9

Students use post it notes to prioritise nine areas of the module into what they consider to be the highest to lowest priority ranking areas for development. The lowest ranking areas being those that they have experienced as being best practice. This encourages discussion and dialogue. To support this approach staff can identify key aspects of the module for students to rank, e.g. resources, teaching methods, assessment etc.

Module Monitoring Feedback Processes

In order to capture, record and feedback the module monitoring and actions the Pilot Group proposed that the best vehicles to do this were the Module NILE Sites and the Student Voice Meetings, as well as providing verbal feedback in a face-to-face session. Therefore, a simple form capturing module monitoring feedback and the module team’s response will be communicated to the students through an announcement on the Module NILE site, ideally within two weeks of the module monitoring activity. The Student Voice meeting agenda has also been adapted to ensure module monitoring is a standard item that can be recorded here, using the module monitoring feedback form to inform the discussion, and these minutes are accessible to all students, staff and wider university services.

Module Monitoring Downloads



Student Module Monitoring Response Form – DOCX

Northampton Student Review

Introduction and Background

As well as Module Monitoring, the pilot group also considered how best to capture data at a programme level to provide programme level oversight on the student experience thereby informing programme teams and support institutional oversight.

It was agreed that this survey would be completed annually and serviced by BIMI. The survey will be completed by those on the Integrated foundation year, L4 and L5 with L6 continuing to complete the NSS, L7 will complete PTES and PGR students the PRES. The Northampton Student Review (NSR) was developed intentionally to echo the style and content of the NSS as this could then provide a barometer of expected performance in the NSS with programme teams (and wider UON services) acting on feedback to improve the Student Experience before the end of the programme.

NSR Completion

In order to support student completion of the NSR and increase the response rate, each programme will identify an NSR leader(s) (this may be a module tutor(s)/the programme leader) who will introduce the NSR in a taught session and allocate 15-20 minutes to complete. With larger programmes, where a cohort is split into a number of teaching groups, this may be more than one person, i.e. the module teaching tutor for each group. At this session the module codes and names need to be displayed to support completion.

Please follow the link to access the survey: Northampton Student Review (jisc.ac.uk)

Students need to use their student number as their respondent ID and their date of birth as a password, for example 21/05/1997.

NSR Data and Feedback

In order to provide programme level oversight on the student experience and identify areas of best practice and areas of development, BIMI will service the NSR and provide programme level data at the end of each academic year, this will be in a similar style to that provided for the NSS. This data will inform the programme review process and be used to share best practice but also to target areas for development.

Northampton Student Review Downloads



Northampton Student Review – PDF



Module Monitoring and Programme Evaluation Faculty Summary Paper – PDF