This page contains information on how you as a teacher can use the survey tool Learning Experience Questionnaire (LEQ) to work in a systematic, collegial and scientific way with course evaluation and course development.
Course evaluation is an activity that is part of Umeå university's Quality System for Education. This page focuses on the survey tool LEQ, but there are many different ways to do a course evaluation.
Read about activities in the university's Quality System for Education
The survey tool LEQ has been developed to support a scientific approach to course evaluation and course development. Another purpose is to stimulate cooperation and exchange of experience between colleagues. LEQ evaluates your students' experience of the course's learning environment based on a number of evidence-based factors that promote learning. If a colleague evaluates another course in the same way, opportunities for dialogue and exchange of experience regarding your teaching are opened up. This is how a course analysis meeting for teachers works and collegiality can be developed with the help of LEQ.
Why LEQ?
An advantage of using LEQ for course evaluation is that the application of learning factors means that the result is not normative in terms of the form of teaching. The important thing is therefore not whether your teaching is based on, for example, lectures or seminars, but whether and how these activities promote your students' learning. It leaves you free to develop your teaching and pedagogical skills, on a scientific basis, in a way that suits you and your students. Another advantage is that your students' learning takes center stage, instead of, for example, your performance as a teacher or the students' satisfaction with the teaching. It is quite common for course surveys to focus on the latter aspects, which is also the reason why they rarely provide any information that can be translated into course development that promotes learning.
How do I carry out a course evaluation?
In the learning platform Canvas, there is a ready-made LEQ template that you can use to first carry out a course survey. In Canvas, you also receive a report when the students have answered the survey. Based on this report, you can then carry out a course analysis in the Survey & Report web service. Together, the course survey and course analysis make up your course evaluation.
Under Manual and guide on this page, you will find an LEQ guide for users that describes the different steps in more detail. There are also videos in Umu Play that guide you through the process.
Process for systematic course development
The LEQ process for systematic course development is illustrated in the image below.
The process consists of the following steps:
- The process begins on completion of your course. During the course it is advantageous to use formative evaluation to adapt implementation to your students' needs as far as possible
- At the end of the course, you carry out a summative course survey using the LEQ survey tool. Note that other sources of information, such as your own experiences as a teacher, can also be taken into account in the course evaluation.
- As a next step, you can share the results of the course survey with your students if possible. A group of students can then meet to carry out a course reflection, passing the results on to you.
- Based on the data collected you then perform a preliminary course analysis. The results are presented and discussed at a course analysis meeting with other teachers, after which a final version is confirmed and published.
- If a common need for competence development becomes apparent during the course analysis meeting, this can be followed up with some form of competence development activity for the teachers.
- Finally, you carry out the proposals for course development that are indicated in the final version of the course analysis. In practice, you will most likely do some of this work during the next course offering.