Posted 9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27, 2023
Welcoming student feedback
With the Learning Environment Survey (LENS) opening for students this week (11/30/23), it is helpful to start thinking about how you can talk with students about LENS and increase response rates. Here are three key things to talk to your students about.
What is LENS?
The LENS is about student perceptions on the learning environment. The introductory message for students explains LENS like this:
“This student survey of instruction, the Learning Environment Survey (LENS), is an important way for you to express your experiences in this class. Your experience includes your interactions with your instructor(s) and peers, course activities and workload, expectations for performance, feedback on performance, and opportunities for engagement. You are important partners in the process of making the course more effective. As such we ask you to treat the process professionally, seriously, sensitively, and collegially. Instructors receive the results in an anonymous aggregated form only after grades for the course have been finalized and released. We will treat the evaluation forms as the confidential documents that they are.”
How to access LENS?
Students can complete the LENS by clicking on the link from the email received. Emails come from provost@uwlax.edu. Students can also complete any open LENS by accessing “Course Evaluation” from the navigation bar in Canvas.
When to access LENS?
Fall 2023 LENS will be open for student completion from November 30 to December 13. (Note: In the future, LENS for courses will release to students relative to the length of the course and the course end date. During this time frame, it is recommended that you monitor response rates (in real time!) from the link in the email or via the “Course Evaluations” area in Canvas navigation.
And, how do you increase your response rate to welcome more student feedback??
To increase responses rates, you can consider a few techniques. First, take some time during a class period to talk with students about what is on the LENS. Please note that the LENS includes a few areas for comments specific to a previous question. Next, you might consider sharing with students ways that you have used previous constructive student comments to make alterations to your courses. Additionally, you can provide time during a class period for students to complete the LENS. Please be sure to leave the room if you provide time; 10-15 minutes should suffice. Finally, if you incentize students for completion it is best to not do that per student proof of completion but rather per class (i.e., if the whole class gets to #% completion then all students get # extra credit points). This is to help respect the confidential nature of the instrument.