This project will enable students to provide feedback on each module they study which will support the strategic level priority within the Learning & Teaching Assessment Strategy.
Led by the Quality Support Unit, in collaboration with ITD, this project supports the University's strategic requirement articulated in the teaching learning and assessment strategy, Action for Wisdom, Pillar 2, Transforming Teaching. Aim 2 of this pillar speaks specifically to the requirement for effective student feedback. Enhancement of student feedback mechanisms is also a recommendation from the CINNTE review in 2020 and StELA project.
Robust student feedback systems and processes are also required to support the professionalisation of teaching and the use of learning analytics. The ITD Project Management team has provided guidance through the DGSC process, along with assistance with vendor evaluation.
Currently the Quality Support unit are working closely with the ITD Educational Technology team in planning the implementation and pilot of the Student Feedback System into the Brightspace platform.
The project benefits include:
- Replacement of module feedback system previously provided within SULIS​
- Enhanced data collection to allow data to be used for multiple purposes​
- Student evaluation system that supports multiple delivery patterns and programme types​
- One-stop-shop for students through a familiar Brightspace experience, where they can access all the learning materials and content for their modules and also complete feedback on these.
- One-stop-shop for teaching staff to review the feedback on their modules from within Brightspace.
- Integrated feedback system on a centralised system without the requirement for additional data feeds from the student records system.
- The ability to integrate with the PowerBI data warehouse to facilitate institutional level reporting.
What does it mean for the UL community?
The Student Feedback System will enable detailed real-time reporting at module level to the individual teacher/lecturer, subject to minimum response thresholds. It will also enable aggregate reporting (e.g. by programme, department, faculty, institutional) at centralised levels.
The system will integrate with the existing VLE environment allowing students to access a feedback mechanism from their Brightspace homepage, enabling students to provide feedback on each module that they study each semester. ​
It will also facilitate the closure of the feedback loop where teaching staff can provide feedback directly to students on how they have incorporated students feedback into their module or teaching.
Project update
In November 2024, the Quality Support unit, in collaboration with the ITD Business Engagement (IT BE) and Education Technology (Ed Tech) teams, successfully launched the phase 1 pilot for the new module evaluation survey TRUST-em (Time to Reflect and Understand Students - Evaluation of Modules), with participants from the School of Law and Department of Economics.
The pilot included almost 600 students with 900 module registrations, with an impressive 36% response rate after one week. This project was funded under the UL Enable IT Strategy and went through all stages of digital project methodology, from ideation to implementation, under the Digital Governance Steering Committee (DGSC). Phase 2 of the project launched in March 2025, which incorporates all students and modules, with the survey to close mid-April 2025.
