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What is Student Feedback?

Student Feedback is your chance to reflect on your education experience and give us your feedback on your modules and teachers. 

Your views can make a difference. With your feedback, your university and school can make changes to improve courses for future students.

Student Feedback surveys provide you with an opportunity to voice your opinion and provide constructive feedback to the University. All feedback received is confidential and your details will never be shared with the school or teaching staff.

In the new Student Feedback process there are two surveys:

Module Feedback Survey: all relevant modules will be included in this survey. You will likely be able to provide feedback for most or all of the modules you are taking.

Lecturer Teaching Survey: your lecturer may choose to run a Lecturer Teaching Survey; if so, you will receive an invitation to complete this survey. Not all modules will be included in this

Are you invited to take the surveys? Student Feedback

When can I feedback

You will be able to provide feedback on your modules towards the end of each trimester.  You will receive an invite to provide feedback to your UCD Connect email account advising you of specific dates each Trimester.  

The feedback window for Spring 2024 is Monday 8 April until Friday 3 May inclusive.

Note: As some modules will have both a module and lecturer survey, you may receive two surveys for some modules. 

UCD Student Feedback QR Code.

How can I provide feedback?

Students can provide feedback by: 

We want to know how UCD should go - Student Feedback

Closing the Feedback Loop

Your feedback on your modules and teaching is important to the university and Module Coordinators, Lecturers and Schools will use your feedback to improve the teaching and learning experience, inform changes in the curriculum and contribute to university quality review processes.

The new Student Feedback system will facilitate Module Coordinators and Lecturers in ‘closing the feedback loop’ with students. When feedback surveys have closed, your teachers will share their reflections on all the anonymised feedback provided by the class.

Student Feedback Guidelines

Your feedback is important to the university and to the Module Coordinators and Lecturers on your modules. By participating in Student Feedback surveys, you are agreeing to provide respectful, constructive feedback that adheres to the UCD Code of Conduct:

Comments that are respectful, constructive, and fair will have the most impact.

  • Be descriptive. “The book by Jones was very confusing and disorganized, and I didn’t think it related well to the course material. More specifically, we were asked to read chapters 5, 8, and 11, but those were not mentioned in the lecture.”
  • Explain what you liked about the class. “I really benefited from the hands-on activities because they helped me learn the material.”
  • Be Respectful. Honesty is important, but there’s no need to be mean; it is hurtful to receive nasty comments. Instead, speak your mind politely about the module’s strengths and weaknesses.
  • Avoid criticising things your Lecturer can’t control. It’s not helpful to complain that the class is too early in the morning or that the classroom is too cold. Your Lecturer probably has no control over these things.
  • Be appropriate. It is never appropriate to comment on a Lecturer’s personal appearance.
  • Offer suggestions, for example “Could you please put less information on each PowerPoint slide and use a bigger font?”
  • Acknowledge.  If you enjoyed the class, let them know. 

Bias in your responses

UCD recognises that student evaluations of teaching are often influenced by students’ unconscious and unintentional biases about the gender and race of faculty and all other protected grounds https://www.ucd.ie/equality/

As you fill out Student Feedback surveys, please keep this in mind and make an effort to resist stereotypes about Lecturers. Focus on your opinions about the content of the module (the assignments, the textbook, the in-class material) and not unrelated matters (e.g the Lecturer’s appearance).”

UCD STANDARDS

The feedback you give is confidential.  However, the following conditions apply: 

  • We reserve the right to remove comments that are offensive, inappropriate, or violate UCD policy, including the UCD Student Code.  The UCD Student Code establishes the University's regulations and expectations in respect of student behaviour and conduct http://www.ucd.ie/governance/resources/policypage-studentcode/

• In rare cases, such as those in which your comments are deemed highly offensive or a threat to the safety of yourself or any member of the UCD community, UCD as a duty of care will follow up in an appropriate manner in line with UCD guidelines.

Student FAQ's

What is Student Feedback?
Student Feedback is a new system which changes how students give feedback on modules and teaching. This process has two new surveys - a Module Feedback survey and a Lecturer Teaching survey - to capture student views on their modules and teaching each trimester

Why is this being introduced?

A review of the current system was conducted in 2019. During that review students and lecturers suggested a number of changes that they would like to see in a revised feedback system:

  • The facility to provide feedback on module delivery and teaching
  • Functionality to ‘close the feedback loop’ with students - i.e. lecturers/module coordinators providing reflections to students on the feedback they have left
  • Increased student engagement with the surveys, enabled by a more user-friendly interface and integration into Brightspace

What are the main changes from how feedback is currently collected?

Currently, all modules are surveyed at the end of each trimester with a survey run in Infohub. The new system has the following developments:

  • A new Module Feedback survey surveys all relevant modules in each school at the end of each trimester
  • A new Lecturer Teaching survey will allow lecturers to survey a module to collect feedback on their teaching if they choose to do so
  • A new system has been procured to operate the surveys. This system will be integrated into Brightspace so students will be able to see the surveys available to them there
  • At the end of each survey period, students will receive reflections from their lecturers on the feedback they have given

Are student replies anonymous?

All student feedback is confidential. However, if comments are deemed to be offensive or inappropriate, the university reserves the right to remove the offending material. In rare cases, such as those in which comments are deemed highly offensive or a threat to the safety of a member of the UCD community, UCD as a duty of care will follow up in an appropriate manner in line with UCD guidelines.

Where do I go if I need assistance

Please check out our Frequently Asked Questions in the first instance to see if you can find the answer to your questions. 

If you cannot find the answer to your question, please contact us for further assistance. 

UCD Institutional Research

University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
T: +353 1 716 1088/1502 | E: studentfeedback@ucd.ie | Location Map(opens in a new window)

www.ucd.ie/institutionalresearch