Skip to main content

Closing the feedback loop at a department level

QA51 requirements of Directors of Studies (DoS) and Teaching (DoT), or Heads of Department (HoD), as well as enhanced practices for closing the feedback loop.

Online Unit Evaluations (OUEs)

Download and print infographics summarising the QA51 expectations of the:

QA51 requirements of DoSs, DoTs and HoDs to close the feedback loop following OUE feedback

  • Encourage unit convenors to:
  • Each semester, prepare an OUE summary document for each unit on your course which captures any themes in feedback. Make sure this is discussed at Staff / Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs) and Department and School Learning and Teaching Quality Committees (D/SLTQC). Where actions are taken at this level, communicate with students on that course how their feedback will be used
  • Make sure the Moodle repository of QA51 unit convenor responses to OUEs is kept up to date and students know when and where to find them

Course-level survey

QA51 requirements of DoSs, DoTs and HoDs for the Course-level survey

  • Present survey results at SSLCs and D/SLTQC for discussion
  • Email cohort to summarise the results of the survey and actions following from it

Enhanced practice for the Course-level survey

  • Engage your academic reps or a student group in a Student Changemakers project to co-create solutions to any large issues
  • If students raise issues to do with activities outside your department:
    • pass these on to the relevant department
    • raise at the Faculty or School Learning, Teaching and Quality Committee (F/SLTQC)
    • discuss with the Student Faculty Representative

Top tips for DoSs, DoTs and HoDs to close the feedback loop following the Course-level survey

  • Work with SSLCs and D/SLTQCs to discuss and co-create solutions to any issues raised through the Course-level survey
  • Summarise the results of the survey and communicate with students on the course (for example, through a cohort-level email) how their feedback will be used
  • Consider whether the experience of continuing students that the Course-level survey provides insight into can be used as evidence in your Education Annual Enhancement Review and evaluation of any changes to your non-finalist curriculum

National and institution-wide surveys

  • During induction, tell incoming students how student feedback from surveys has been used to shape their course and experience.
  • When promoting completion of large annual student surveys, remind students how the feedback from previous cohorts was used to improve the experience of the current cohort
  • Make sure there is student engagement through SSLCs or student working groups, with any action planning that follows survey results

Staff / Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs)

QA51 requirements for SSLCs

  • At the first SSLC of the academic year, summarise the results of any key surveys or student voice activities and gather academic rep feedback
  • Support your academic reps to communicate with their cohorts so they can best represent the widest voice and close the feedback loop following discussions about survey results

Enhanced practice for SSLCs

  • Co-create solutions to student feedback with SSLCs
  • Keep an action log as part or instead of the SSLC minutes and update on what actions have been completed at each meeting

Other opportunities to close the feedback loop

Consider setting up a short working group with academic reps, student volunteers (for example, Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) leaders, Peer Mentors, Student Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) group) or any other representative group of students to co-create solutions to course-wide issues coming up through surveys.

As part of the annual review, it is a good idea to reflect on student feedback in the round (from OUEs, surveys, SSLC minutes, working groups, and so on) to identify any key themes to be addressed and to evaluate how effective previous changes have been.

If you would like to survey your students, please take a look at the best practice guidance on running surveys. Please make sure you let any respondents know what will be done with their feedback.

On this page