Surfacing the student voice: Forms

Forms can be used in the following ways:

Survey: Microsoft Forms can be used to help gather feedback, especially from a continuous improvement and reflective practice standpoint. This data collection facilitates a one-way transfer of information from student to tutor.  This data can then be surfaced to form an actionable response.

Quiz: Simple quizzes allow instant feedback and knowledge checking throughout the module. This data can easily be used to highlight students that need support and start open discussions with them about their studies and needs. You can even programme your quiz to give specific automated responses for each question to provide instant feedback.

Student production: Everyone within the institution has access to Forms through their university account. Students can create their own Forms to conduct surveys or quizzes. This activity gets students thinking about how they gather data, ask questions and provide feedback. Sharing their creations among the class encourages peer-to-peer learning and feedback. Remember, however, that certain surveys (particularly those collecting data beyond the classroom) may require ethics approval.

Benefits:

• Promotes asynchronous study, reflection and feedback.
• Allows students to check their knowledge with subject-specific feedback in their own time.
• Encourages open discussions about how students found a particular session or activity.
• Helps to identify students’ needs in a way that doesn’t rely on students reaching out directly.
• Students feel their opinions are heard and that they have a say in their own learning journey.

Emma Ellse (Lincoln International Business School) uses an embedded form within each weekly folder to give the students a chance to feedback about the learning/teaching they have engaged with that week. She can then use this information to amend teaching and learning activities based on her students’ needs. An example of this can be found with the Blackboard Showroom | Web (internal).