The requirements for evaluations and feedback in teaching have changed significantly in recent years. Both the way in which feedback is given and how it is handled is different from when the evaluation system was introduced at the WU 15 years ago. For example, students are used to giving quick feedback via social media with high frequency. Teachers use good evaluation results much more often for applications in the education sector than before. Feedback and reports should therefore now be processed and made available more quickly at the WU in line with the changed feedback culture. In addition, technological requirements have also changed. The upcoming technological upgrade was primarily used to better adapt the platform to the needs of the various stakeholders.
The most important innovations at a glance:
The course evaluation at the WU should focus even more on feedback. This should not only be achieved through the redesign of the questionnaire (better positioning of the open questions), but also through a large offer of feedback methods implemented online (fast feedback). More information about the supported feedback methods can be found at the WU Teaching and Learning Academy.
The technological update combines the strengths of paper-based and online-based course evaluation through the optimal support of mobile devices (smartphone, tablet, etc.). You will be provided with a QR code or a short URL that leads the students directly to the questionnaire. This means that the course evaluation can be carried out online directly in the course using mobile devices. Thus, both the user guidance and the evaluation instrument have been optimized and will improve the use of evaluation on mobile devices for students.
The evaluation tool (the questionnaire) can be more easily adapted to teaching designs. Teachers can more easily change questions or entire modules in order to obtain individual feedback. A default questionnaire is automatically created on the basis of syllabus information.
Lecturers can download their collected course evaluation results on the new platform in order to be able to use them for application situations.
The new course evaluation
In the summer semester 2021, the new platform will be used for all course evaluations at the WU. From the winter semester 21/22 onwards, the reporting component is to be implemented on the basis of the guideline agreed with the academic works council.
In order to ensure broad coordination as to the upgrade of the course evaluation, the instrument of course evaluation was discussed together with teachers, students and decision-makers in several feedback rounds, taking into account the feedback received from the ongoing course evaluation. The topics raised were then condensed with the “New content development evaluation” working group. This working group consisted of representatives from the ÖH, professors, university lecturers, the works council for university teachers and the vice rectorate for teaching and students. During the entire development and conception phase, the Senate's study commission acted as a sounding board.
