We’re Listening: Gathering Student Feedback on Adaptive Learning Courseware

Adaptive Learning Courseware holds the potential as a game-changer in undergraduate, large-enrollment, general education classes, but that potential can only be fulfilled if students actively engage with and validate the usefulness of the courseware.  Administrators of the University of Mississippi Personalized Learning and Adaptive Teaching Opportunities (PLATO) office developed a protocol for gathering honest student feedback regarding the courseware being used in several classes.  The PLATO program manager worked with a student research assistant to observe classes where the courseware was in use, conduct focus groups with small groups of students using the courseware, and survey all students and faculty in classes that have adopted the courseware.

In this session, the presenter will share the process of developing the protocol, the protocol itself, and the data collected.  Particular attention will be paid to the major findings, both positive and negative, from the student data.  Participants will be encouraged to ask questions and initiate discussions regarding how their own experience gathering student feedback on teaching and learning methods compares with the presenter’s.  Participants will leave with the protocol used by the presenter, ideas for generating rich student feedback, and data from the current assessment.

Goals:

1. To share students’ responses to adaptive courseware.
2. To share a protocol for gathering student and faculty feedback.
3. To generate discussion about the pros and cons of adaptive courseware from the student perspective.

Presentation Outline:

1. Overview of the PLATO program at The University of Mississippi
2. Description of protocol for gathering feedback
3. Sharing of results, implications, and limitations
4. Discussion of cross-campus applicability of the protocol and student feedback
5. Q and A for presenters