Dos and don’ts when processing course feedback data
Course feedback is a central tool for developing courses and teaching. Reviewing feedback, reflecting on it and considering further development measures are primarily the responsibility of the teacher in charge of each course. Reports play a key role in this development work. In this blogpost, we list things that you should consider when processing course feedback as a teacher.
The MyCourses course feedback tool offers basic course by course reports while the Course data for teachers in Power BI is able to show teachers’ course feedback from the last five years. Read more here: Making use of course feedback and reports | Aalto University.
Dos and don’ts when processing course feedback
- DO collect feedback on processes and activities (e.g. teaching and evaluation methods, exercises, content of teaching, teaching events), NOT on individual persons and their characteristics (students, teachers, visitors or course assistants). This promotes constructive feedback and helps to reduce discriminatory and inappropriate feedback. This will also minimise the accumulation of personal data.
- DO NOT save feedback reports on your computer, as it will increase the risk of the maximum retention time set for the data being exceeded. Depending on the method of feedback processing, the necessary retention period is usually 1-2 years and a maximum of 5 years. DO use the course feedback reports offered by Aalto in PowerBI.
- Before forwarding any reports, please DO check that the recipient is allowed to process course feedback data.
- When you have processed the student feedback on your course, make sure to INFORM the students of at least the most important observations and planned development actions. You CAN share your course feedback with students and respond to the feedback. You should NOT, however, publish feedback that allows the identification of individual respondents.
- You CAN discuss course feedback with your supervisor or colleague. The teacher’s supervisor and the departmental supervisor have the right to see the teachers’ course feedback, including the parts that are considered to contain personal data. Your colleagues CANNOT see your feedback unless you share it with them.
This blog post is part of Teacher Services’ ongoing series Feedback culture tips. At Aalto University, course feedback holds a distinctive place within our feedback portfolio, reaching students at every stage of their studies. We firmly believe in the importance of amplifying students’ voices, considering it a fundamental aspect of teaching and education development. Consequently, course feedback is seamlessly integrated into our educational landscape, constituting a consistent element from the course’s inception, throughout its duration, and up to its conclusion. Read more: Course feedback in Aalto University | Aalto University.
