Positive or negative comments alone do not automatically lead to module improvements (Saroyan & Amundsen, 2001). Ballantyne, Borthwick, & Packer (2000) state that for genuine improvement in teaching more attention has to be paid to the feedback, and specifically in the process of translating feedback into appropriate change.

Responding appropriately to feedback is a key element of an academic’s professionalism (Eraut, 2004) and knowing how many, or the extent of changes to implement is a concern, as is implementing unnecessary changes because of the need to appear responsive to student views (Arthur, 2009).

It is difficult, however, for lecturers to select aspects for development based on mean ratings from Likert scale items (Hendry & Dean, 2002) since they provide no specific information on what should be changed to bring about improvement (Murray, 1997).

In response, Richardson (2005) corroborates Cashin’s (1990) earlier sentiment about the need for academic support for lecturers in analysing and interpreting feedback to identify potential areas for development. Once key issues affecting teaching and learning have been identified (through consultation or using one of the methods Section 5.3), only a small number should be selected for closer examination.

It is more beneficial to successfully develop one aspect of the module than to invest time and effort in a large number of small changes, and to focus on how to improve students’ learning experiences rather than the teaching performance.

Back to 5.4 Continue to Section 5.6 Back To Section 5