What is it about?

This article is about how to better understand and use student feedback in higher education. Here’s a simple explanation: (1) Importance of Feedback: In colleges and universities, gathering feedback from students is crucial for evaluating and improving various services, such as teaching quality and campus facilities. (2) Online Reviews: Students often provide feedback online, where they rate services numerically and also write comments. (3) Study Focus: The article examines how well the written comments (free text) match up with the numerical ratings students give. It explores whether detailed comments are linked to higher or lower ratings. (3) Key Idea: The study hypothesizes that if students give detailed feedback about a specific feature, the numerical rating they give for that feature will be more reliable and accurate. (4) Validation: The researchers tested this idea using feedback from students at their own institution to see if their hypothesis held true.

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Why is it important?

This article is important for several reasons: (1) Improving Feedback Accuracy: Understanding how written comments relate to numerical ratings can help institutions better interpret student feedback. This leads to more accurate assessments of the quality of services and teaching, allowing for more informed decision-making and improvements. (2) Enhancing Service Quality: By examining the relationship between detailed comments and numerical ratings, institutions can identify areas of strength and weakness more effectively. This helps in making targeted improvements in teaching, facilities, and other services based on comprehensive feedback. (3) Better Understanding of Student Sentiment: Analyzing both quantitative ratings and qualitative comments provides a fuller picture of student opinions. This dual approach helps institutions grasp the nuances of student experiences and concerns, leading to more effective responses and changes. (4) Improving Feedback Mechanisms: Insights from the study can guide institutions in refining their feedback systems. For example, they might adjust how they collect or analyze feedback to ensure that both numerical ratings and written comments are used effectively. (5) Informed Decision-Making: Accurate feedback is crucial for institutional planning and policy-making. Understanding how to interpret and use feedback correctly helps administrators make better decisions that align with students' needs and expectations. (6) Enhanced Student Engagement: When institutions act on detailed feedback, students feel their opinions are valued and taken seriously. This can lead to increased engagement and satisfaction, fostering a more positive academic environment. (7) Benchmarking and Comparison: The findings can help institutions benchmark their performance against others by providing a clearer understanding of how their feedback compares to that of other institutions. This can be useful for competitive analysis and strategic planning.

Perspectives

Here’s my perspective on the article: (1) Value of Comprehensive Feedback: The article highlights the importance of not just relying on numerical ratings but also considering detailed written feedback. This dual approach acknowledges that numbers alone might not capture the full context of students' experiences and opinions. By combining both, institutions can gain a richer, more nuanced understanding of the feedback they receive. (2) Improving Feedback Interpretation: One of the strengths of the article is its focus on interpreting feedback more accurately. Understanding how written comments correlate with numerical ratings can refine how institutions assess and act on student opinions. This could lead to more precise and effective responses to student concerns and needs. (3) Enhanced Reliability of Ratings: If the study confirms that detailed comments correlate with more reliable numerical ratings, it could validate the approach of using both types of feedback together. This would reinforce the idea that qualitative insights can enhance the reliability and validity of quantitative assessments. (4) Practical Implications: For educational institutions, the practical implications of this research are significant. By implementing better methods to analyze and understand feedback, they can make more informed decisions about improving their services and academic offerings. This can lead to tangible benefits for students, such as enhanced learning experiences and better campus facilities. (5) Potential for Broader Applications: While the study focuses on student feedback, the methodology and insights could be applied to other areas where feedback is crucial, such as employee reviews, customer satisfaction surveys, or product evaluations. This broader applicability adds value beyond the immediate context of higher education. (6) Engagement and Satisfaction: Institutions that act on detailed and accurate feedback are likely to see improvements in student satisfaction and engagement. When students see that their feedback leads to real changes, they may feel more valued and involved in their educational experience, fostering a more positive and collaborative environment. (7) Future Research Directions: The study opens up several avenues for further research. For instance, exploring how different types of feedback (e.g., anonymous vs. non-anonymous) influence the correlation between ratings and comments could provide deeper insights. Additionally, comparing findings across different institutions or contexts could reveal broader patterns or variations.

Dr. HDR. Frederic ANDRES, IEEE Senior Member, IEEE CertifAIEd Authorized Lead Assessor (Affective Computing)
National Institute of Informatics

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This page is a summary of: Understanding honest feedbacks and opinions in academic environments, January 2011, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery),
DOI: 10.1145/1980422.1980443.
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