Student-Centred Course Evaluation in a Four-year, Problem Based Medical Programme: Issues in Collection and Management of Feedback

Abstract

Increasingly, evaluation is seen primarily as means of achieving quality improvement in higher education. The student-centred, open evaluation system in the medical programme at the University of Sydney has been developed with the fundamental aim of maintaining and improving programme quality. Students’ potential concerns about their learning experiences are actively sought through a variety of qualitative and quantitative collection methods. Feedback is divided into three types: individual, group and year. Methods of data collection are described for each type of feedback and issues involved in managing feedback are discussed. Frequencies are reported for categories of individual student feedback in 1998 and 1999, classified according to whether comments were positive or negative. To effectively support improvement in course quality, an evaluation system must be based on a clear educational rationale, use a variety of methods and be managed with a sensitivity to the needs of students and teachers.