| Session Title: Increasing Student Investment and Motivation to Participate in Online Course Evaluations |
| Think Tank Session 788 to be held in Panzacola Section F1 on Saturday, Nov 14, 11:50 AM to 12:35 PM |
| Sponsored by the Distance Ed. & Other Educational Technologies TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Nancy Rogers, University of Cincinnati, nancy.rogers@uc.edu |
| Janice Noga, Pathfinder Evaluation and Consulting, jan.noga@stanfordalumni.org |
| Abstract: Within institutes of higher education, student evaluations are a primary source of information about quality of teaching and course delivery. However, concerns about the usefulness and value of course evaluations for continuous improvement are plentiful. These concerns are magnified for online course evaluations, which also suffer from poor response rates and concerns regarding negativity biases. Suggestions for increasing response rates include awarding credit for participation, withholding grades, and entering students in raffles. What is neglected is investigation into ways to make course evaluations more relevant to students in order to increase student engagement and investment in the process. This think tank will present findings from the presenters' ongoing work concerning student attitudes toward and investment in online course evaluations. This will serve as the basis for subsequent group discussion exploring critical aspects of design and implementation of online course evaluations and their potential to maximize student participation and engagement. |