SETU and units

In general

Used in an informed manner, the quantitative and qualitative results from the student evaluation of teaching and units (SETU) questionnaire can be an aid in the improvement of teaching and learning. SETU is only one measure of the quality of teaching, and you may wish to supplement this with your own informal in-semester formative evaluations via focus groups, DSO surveys, etc. However, be wary of 'survey fatigue' amongst students, especially at the end of semester when most students will be asked to participate in multiple SETU surveys, and, as always, apply the same common sense and rigour to the interpretation of all student feedback before taking any action to change a unit and/or your teaching methods.

As with the course experience questionnaire(CEQ), obtaining satisfactory numbers of respondents and response rates are issues for SETU. The larger the number of responses, the more reliable the data. You should encourage your students to complete SETU. Research indicates that students are motivated to participate in student evaluation of teaching (SET) surveys by the desire to improve teaching and unit content, and by the expectation that their input will be acted on. It is suggested that one method for improving student participation in, and value of SET surveys is to publish the outcomes and actions that result from them (Chen & Hoshower, 2003). It is also a requirement of Deakin's Evaluation of Teaching and Units procedure that,"Faculties will provide feedback to students on the evaluation of teaching and units each time the unit is offered." (Deakin University, 2009) Currently, the required methods for doing this are including a summary of any changes in the relevant unit guide and presenting this information to on-campus students in class before the end of semester.

Forward to: Why report back to students?