Acting on evaluation: Twelve tips from a national conference on student evaluations

Abstract

Institutions in higher education routinely collect evaluation data from students on a wide range of issues relating to the quality of their learning experience. However, it has been recognized that often this data is under utilized in enhancing teaching quality and that there problems in 'closing the loop' which are common across higher education programmes including medicine. This paper reports on the outcomes of a national workshop held at University College London intended to gather good practice ideas and innovations on how to effectively use collected evaluation data from students. A range of strategies was generated by participants including centralization of systems, the need for flexible and spontaneous approaches, a culture of student participation and staff and student dialogue. The outcomes from the workshop are set out as 12 top-tips and are intended to be workable ideas to support the practice of medical teachers and those responsible for quality assurance processes in 'closing the loop'.