Student-Faculty Surveys

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Our community college strongly urges students to fill out online surveys ranking our teachers 1-5 in about 8 categories, with a box to leave further comments. The word from admin has always been that the teachers don't get to see the surveys until the current term ends and then the responses are anonymous. Silly me, I guess, to believe that and be honest on a survey...

One of the teachers I had last term actually called off the names of those who had turned in the survey while we were finishing up her class, reminding us that the admin uses the surveys in considering teacher retention, pay and purchase of classroom materials. So there goes the idea of "not seeing survey until term ends" and "anonymous." Fortunately she was a teacher I regarded highly. When I refer to "being honest" on a survey prior to this one, let me say that I would never say something cruel but would offer a constructive comment on a point where I thought a teacher could improve.

How would you feel about this? Would you be disturbed about being misled about how the surveys are released to teachers?

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reminding us that the admin uses the surveys in considering teacher retention, pay and purchase of classroom materials.

Well atleast they consider them, most schools don't feel the students are qualifed to judge the teachers and don't have much use for them even though we still have to take have a lecture to fill them out.

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Specializes in OB, MS, Education, Hospice.
Well atleast they consider them, most schools don't feel the students are qualifed to judge the teachers and don't have much use for them even though we still have to take have a lecture to fill them out.

Would you mind sharing where you got this information? I would sure like to verify it.

Thanks!

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Just because the teacher knew who filled out a survey doesn't mean she knew what each person said. She was probably just given a list of the people who had participated without any information about what they had said.

I wouldn't be upset about it at all. It's common practice for program evaluation surveys and research. It's pretty simple to to separate the identifying information from the particular responses given by a particular person.

If you would like to ease your mind, ask the person in charge of the survey how they keep the information separate.

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Would you mind sharing where you got this information? I would sure like to verify it.

Thanks!

Me listening in class as professors make fun of what is said in them seems a good indicator.

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If you're talking about a class with 20-30 students and not a class of 100 or more, I think the teacher can guess who left comments by their vocabulary or writing style. I'm not worried about that because I've never said anything I wouldn't also say to the teacher's face if asked. I guess I'm just irked at myself for falling for the "anonymous" idea.

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I would be annoyed with that.

My college had surveys at the end of each term too. At first they were all done in one of the last classes of the term. The profesor had to leave the room and everything. They were supposed to be annonymous (we didn't put our name on them) but the profesor did get the surveys back at the end of the term to review them so if that class had a lot of handwritten assignments she/he might be able to know who submitted what by the handwriting.

Near the end of my college time they started having more and more of the surveys online to complete. Yes, there was no handwriting issue here, but you had to be 'logged on' to your account to see the surveys that you needed to complete so your name is somewhere actually tied to that survey where as the handwritten surveys in a way were more annonymous.

I never say anything cruel in my surveys anyways, and didn't typically have any complaints so I'm not worried personally about what I have said. However, if they are supposed to be annonymous and you are told they are annonymous than I don't think the profesor has the right to know even if you completed one or not.

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Specializes in ICU, Home Health Care, End of Life, LTC.

We do the whole anonymous teacher leaves room, no results until after current term grades are out. I have had several teachers more than one term though. I am also pretty sure the teachers can tell who made which comment based on writing style. Speaking of writing style has anyone else been shocked by the inability of many nursing students to write in English sentences?

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Mr Bill, are you referring to students whose first language isn't English, or recent graduates of American schools?

Right now I'm wondering if my current teacher can write a sentence in English. She's very knowledgeable and organized in her presentations but in her homework questions we spend a fair amount of time figuring out what she said before we figure out the answer to the question.:uhoh3:

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

Ours are all hand written but the secretary types them all up and hands them to the instructor at the end of the semester.

Sadly, the ones that you do criticize and try to offer suggestions to dont take the evaluations seriously. its always the already good instructors that take what you said and try to better themselves.

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Specializes in OB, MS, Education, Hospice.
Me listening in class as professors make fun of what is said in them seems a good indicator.

Oh--so at your school--not most schools. Thanks--that clarifies it for me.

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Specializes in ICU, Home Health Care, End of Life, LTC.
Mr Bill, are you referring to students whose first language isn't English, or recent graduates of American schools?

Right now I'm wondering if my current teacher can write a sentence in English. She's very knowledgeable and organized in her presentations but in her homework questions we spend a fair amount of time figuring out what she said before we figure out the answer to the question.:uhoh3:

I mean nursing students who will be graduating in May:bugeyes:. The English as a second language students are significantly better. I am sorry you have to deal with difficulty with a teacher and understanding what he/she means. I have heard of a few other people having some problems. I give my teachers some slack because talking on the go can be a little tough. It's not uncommon for them to state things backwards/wrong but usually most students seem to catch it and know what they mean.

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