Abstract/Summary

Standardised module evaluations have risen to prominence over the last few decades as universities place additional importance on student satisfaction metrics due to the evolving neo-liberal context of UK higher education in which student voice outcomes form part of publicly available ranking systems, such as university league tables. It has been proposed that module evaluations have the purpose of assuring or enhancing quality, or both, but research has called into question the effectiveness of these student evaluations of teaching with some suggesting they are part of a culture of managerialism and a tool of performativity. Despite the widespread adoption of module evaluations there is little research that considers in depth the experiences and impact of module evaluations from the perspective and experiences of those that manage, deliver and engage with the process. This research, positioned within the interpretative paradigm, fills a notable gap in the current literature as it uses a case-study design and a mixture of individual and focus group interviews with twelve students, fourteen academics and three members of the senior management team to develop an in-depth and rich understanding of the views of students, academics and senior management within one post-1992 UK university. The findings suggest that the participants felt that the process was potentially important and could enhance the taught experience of students. However, the conclusions also demonstrate that the current rigid system is ineffective because it is situated within a corporate organisational culture with measurement valued over enhancement and the timing and design not effective in gathering usable data to inform timely improvements. The results also indicate that module evaluations are damaging the trust and relationships between staff, students and management and that the feedback received induces negative affective responses from academics for which there is little support. The study recommends that institutions review their approach to module evaluations including the purpose behind them and the organisational culture within which they sit and involve students, staff, management and central services in this process. The suggestion being that for this university module evaluations have the potential to be much more impactful in a culture where the ownership for design and delivery sits closer to the academics and students within a more transparent, understood and collaborative system of governance.