When to conduct student evaluation of teaching surveys : before or after the final examination?

Vehovar, Vasja (author), Štrlekar, Luka (author)

Student evaluation of teaching (SET) involves numerous conceptual and methodological problems. This paper focuses on a specific methodological dilemma: whether to conduct SET surveys before or after the final examination. This decision is a critical administrative and practical issue that can affect the level and quality of SET results. To address this problem, a systematic literature search was initially performed. However, it found only 17 studies and inconclusive results. In the empirical component, a replication survey (n = 5,077) was conducted. It posed seven course-related questions to the same students before and after their final examination. A slightly higher but statistically significant (p < 0.001) average score was obtained in the after-examination survey (a 0.06 difference on a 1–5 scale). This increase was partly attributed to a positive examination experience. The overall test–retest correlation (r = 0.61) indicated relatively low reliability, suggesting that the before-examination survey better reflected students’ attitudes. The data quality was also higher in the before-examination survey, although the before-examination survey could not properly assess the examination-related aspects of the course. From a methodological perspective, the most comprehensive insight seems to be derived from conducting SET surveys before the examination and following up with a brief after-examination survey.

• Language: English
• Keywords: student evaluation of teaching, administration, timing, cross-classified multilevel models
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 767–780
• Numbering: Vol. 49, no. 6
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-153493
• UDC: 378
• ISSN on article: 0260-2938
• DOI: 10.1080/02602938.2023.2298771
• COBISS.SI-ID: 179231747
• Publication date in RUL: 10.01.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Assessment and evaluation in higher education
• Shortened title: Assess. eval. high. educ.
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 0260-2938
• COBISS.SI-ID: 16511581

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: študenti, ankete