Feedback Forms

The IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction survey has two versions that we use at Biola: the Diagnostic Feedback and the Learning Essentials. You can learn more about each of them in the sections below. In both the Diagnostic and Learning Essentials instruments, the main indicator of teaching effectiveness is student progress on relevant learning objectives. In the surveys, students provide ratings of progress on 13 learning objectives, however, only those that have been chosen as “Important” or “Essential” are weighed. Instructors complete the Objectives Selection Form (OSF) to designate certain objectives as important/essential. The OSF is accessed by logging into biola.campuslabs.com/faculty. You can learn more in the Selecting Objectives section.

Sample Objectives Selection Form

The Diagnostic Feedback Form is our tool of choice for a comprehensive assessment of teaching effectiveness. It is the standard form used for face to face and hybrid courses. The form has 40 questions that provides both summative and formative feedback in the following categories:

• Observations of specific teaching methods
• Progress on relevant course objectives
• Perceived course difficulty/workload & student motivation/effort
• Overall impressions of the instructor and course

Sample Diagnostic Feedback Form

The Learning Essentials Form is a shorter tool with 18 questions and provides feedback about student progress on relevant learning objectives and overall impressions of the instructor and course. It is appropriate for use in courses where there is little direct instruction and outcomes are most important such as in a practicum or laboratory course.

Online courses use the Learning Essentials Form paired with additional questions specific to online pedagogy.

Sample Learning Essentials Form

Mid-semester evaluations are incredibly valuable to help you know what students are thinking and to allow you time to make adjustments if needed. Mid-semester course evaluations can also help get students into the practice of giving feedback. Going over the results in class demonstrates to students that you value their input. Below are a couple samples you are free to adapt:

• Mid-Semester Evaluation Instructions
• Mid-Semester Feedback Form Sample 1 (Word template)
• Mid-Semester Feedback Form Sample 2 (Word template)
• Mid-Semester Feedback Form Sample 3 (Google Form template)