Student Evaluations and the Effect of Timely Feedback on Course Quality and Faculty Development in Saudi Arabia: A Mixed Methods Approach
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2018-06-07
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Abstract
Feedback from students is one of the most frequently used tools for evaluating/improving university instructors’ performance, assessing teaching quality, and improving learning outcomes. However, few studies have fully examined the effect of instructors receiving timely feedback from students, or student and instructor perceptions about feedback to instructors. This study’s first goal was to determine whether timely student feedback to Problem-Based Learning (PBL) instructors affects teaching styles and teaching quality in a Saudi Arabian university. The second goal was to explore whether student feedback in general and timely student feedback in particular to PBL instructors would contribute to faculty professional development. An embedded mixed methods design was used, whereby a qualitative method was embedded within a quantitative experimental major design. Quantitative data were first collected via a survey administered twice during a study block to 329 first-year, male and female medical students in novice and advanced streams. Students and instructors were divided into an experimental (E) and a control (C) group where students evaluated 22 PBL instructors on instructor performance and PBL session organization. However, only E group instructors received timely student feedback. Qualitative data were then collected from 61 of these students and 13 instructors through one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The quantitative results showed significant differences in student scores between the E and C groups. Then, student results were analyzed separately for differences based on gender and novice and advanced streams. The results showed differences in student scores between the E and C groups for the male and novice stream students, and no significant difference in student scores for the female and advanced stream students. Qualitative data for the instructors and students revealed three major overarching themes concerning the importance, process, and use of student feedback. The mixed methods’ results showed the effectiveness of timely student feedback on instructors’ performance and PBL session organization items. Additionally, the effectiveness of timely student feedback was shown for both men and women and for novice students, but not for advanced students.
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Alhassan, A. I. (2018). Student Evaluations and the Effect of Timely Feedback on Course Quality and Faculty Development in Saudi Arabia: A Mixed Methods Approach (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/31993