ABSTRACT
Student feedback on learning and teaching has never been more widely available, but its validity and relevance to quality enhancement continues to be questioned by sections of the academy. For some, student feedback, particularly through instruments such as the National Student Survey, is a pernicious influence on higher education that has accompanied market pressure, consumerism, and heavy-handed performance management.
Though student feedback is not without its limitations, this chapter argues that, used with care and sleight of hand, student feedback is a useful source of evidence for directing quality enhancement efforts. Multiple sources of evidence about what students think about teaching and learning are remarkably consistent with each other, and can be matched to accepted research on effective higher education pedagogy. Student feedback should not be roundly ignored – rather it is a ‘warning light’ that can highlight areas where effective learning or pedagogical practice may not be taking place. Yet student feedback also requires careful curation and dialogue in order to be interpreted correctly and used appropriately. Higher education practitioners should seek out the ‘sub-text’ of student feedback – particularly if it relates to the thorny issue of ‘contact hours’ – in order to determine how they can best enhance pedagogical practice in line with the available evidence on ‘what works’.
