- Give students 1 point extra credit for completing the evaluation. Almost all online course evaluation software allows one to see which students completed the survey, while maintaining the anonymity of their responses. This is probably the most important tip, and the one not to skip. I use a grading scale of 1000 (900 is an A) for my courses, so I actually offer 10 extra points, which sounds better but is really equal to 1 point on a 100-point scale.
- Discuss the importance of completing the evaluation early on in the course - the first week is not too soon. Get it in their mind how important this is to you,
- Get your institution to agree to delay availability of grades if an evaluation is not completed. The University of Oregon has a policy that withholds grades and transcripts until the Friday after the grading deadline ends for those students who don't complete the evaluations (other students get them as soon as they are turned in).
- Send lots of reminders in various formats. Use email, the discussion board as well as course announcements.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Four Ways to Get Students to Complete Online Course Evaluations
The primary downfall of online course evaluations is the low completion rate. In the traditional environment, students are more or less held captive while they rate their learning and their instructor on a piece of paper. To raise completion rates to a comparable level, use these ideas.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
Just a few comments concerning evaluations. First as someone who completed a degree online I found taking an evaluation more receptive towards the end of the course, normally around the final exam or the last written assignment.
I find that if you if withhold grades until the student completes their evaluation that the student will typically say/input anything just to complete the evaluation so that grades/transcripts can be released.
The best way in my opinion to encourage participation would be to offer students extra credit, but make it available midway or at the end of the course. This way the student can see the value of completing the evaluation by earning extra points to possibly improve their grade.
This is exceptionally good information for those of us working for online degree programs full time. I think the multiple reminders produce good results—at least they do for me.
Thanks!
Dapper Fellow
Post a Comment