Loop Insights

Student surveys, an online form emailed after a course, or piece of paper thrust in front of students at the end of a semester at the second-to-last tutorial or seminar, are dead. They were once the mainstay of gauging student satisfaction in tertiary education as the pressures of end of semester exams or essays loomed. 

When Loop was getting started, I was asked to present to a group of 23 visitors to our office, keen to learn about start-ups and factors that contribute to the success of these organisations. To start, I opted to embark on a little experiment. I simulated a classroom environment as a lighthearted way to introduce the purpose and function of Loop,false

The challenge

With more than 20,000 students and 1,000 teachers, one of Australia’s largest dual-sector tertiary institutions sought to implement a consistent system for teachers to gather feedback from their students.

John Hattie makes an interesting observation about student feedback. Hattie argues that while “feedback is critical to raising achievement," its absence in classrooms remains a problem.

Student feedback is a simple and fast way to learn what’s working in your classroom and what needs tweaking. Creating an effective flow of feedback increases classroom engagement and positive learning outcomes. 

Activating Student Voice in your classroom is a powerful way to increase student engagement and boost performance. Given the impact of Student Voice in many educational institutions, teachers are increasingly adding Student Voice to their Professional Development Plans (PDPs).  

One thing we consistently notice when we work with education institutions to implement a Student Voice program is that students believe that they are not reflecting enough on the lessons they are undertaking. 

Education research continues to support the role of Student Voice in improving educational outcomes. Establishing continuous feedback loops between students and teachers is vital to strengthening learning and teaching.

To build a product that teachers deeply love, we talk to teachers almost every day. It’s apparent that some teachers gather more useful student feedback than others. 

This is not by chance. It follows from how the teacher initially framed feedback to their class.