Using Moodle

Using Surveys and Choices

Surveys and choices represent two different tools for gathering feedback data from students. Moodle surveys are formal and based in theory. Choices are quick and simple for both you and your students. They can both provide useful data about your course and your students’ success.

Moodle surveys are a bit too long to be used frequently. They provide useful feedback if you want to revise your course to meet student needs, but answering a set of 24 questions on a regular basis can become tedious for your students. I recommend using the ATTLS or COLLES survey three times per semester (or twice a quarter if you’re on the quarter system). You may want to deliver the first survey after the first few weeks to get some early feedback on student perceptions of the course, once at the mid-term to make adjustments for the second half, and once at the end of the course to get summative feedback to include in the next semester’s course design.

Of the available surveys, the COLLES and Critical Incidents are the most useful for making decisions about your course design. In the COLLES survey, pay close attention to the relevance scores. Student perception of course relevance is very important in determining student satisfaction and learning. If a student believes a course isn’t relevant to his life, he will have difficulty spending the time required to be successful. His performance will suffer, and his perception of the value of the course will diminish.

The Critical Incidents ...