Supporting Your Feedback Response Rates

As with the paper version of the Student Questionnaire on Courses and Teaching (SQCT), instructors should continue to provide 15 minutes in class during the course feedback period for students to complete their questionnaires. Please continue to support your Departmental Coordinators in the SQCT in-class administration process.

Aside from classroom time for SQCT completion, the most effective strategy for encouraging students to log in to Your Feedback and complete their questionnaires is encouragement and interest from the instructors and academic leaders. Students are more likely to complete their SQCT if they know why their feedback is important to their instructors as well as the Departments and Faculties.

Here are some specific strategies that Chairs, Directors, and Deans can draw on to increase Your Feedback response rates:

• Visit classes and let students know that their feedback really does make a difference. Share with them how ratings data and course comments are used for course, program, and regular faculty review procedures in your Faculty or Department. If you teach or have taught recently, tell them how positive feedback has affected your teaching, and give them examples of changes you have made to teaching and course design based on past student questionnaire feedback.


• Reassure students that you and other faculty members are unable to track their individual responses. The Your Feedback system protects them from instructor and administrator tracking at all points of the feedback processes. You can download this example of a Your Feedback instructor response rate screen shot to share with students.


• Email the students in your Department or Faculty when the Your Feedback period opens, and encourage them to complete their SQCTs. Send a reminder email to them near the end of the Your Feedback period.


• If you use social media or OWL, post Your Feedback reminder graphics throughout the questionnaire period. You can find them on the Resources page.


• Ask the Department or Faculty website administrators to upload the Your Feedback web banner (found on the Resources page) and/or add the Your Feedback open and closing dates to the web calendar or student handbook used in your Department or Faculty.


• Share the SQCT questions at Departmental or Faculty meetings and work through a discussion of what it is they are intended to provide feedback on, and the criteria for feedback within your discipline (e.g., why certain forms of assessment are more appropriate than others, how ideas can be connected throughout a course). This can help instructors more clearly communicate to students how to give effective feedback on the SQCT.


• Share this infographic on how to write effective SQCT comments through social media or on your Departmental/Faculty website.


• Engage in a friendly response rate competition with other Departments or Faculties. Keep students updated or have them post updates on social media using a hashtag.