Assessing Teaching Effectiveness Online in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic required instructors to change teaching modalities, from face-to-face to online. Many of these instructors who moved to this modality were unfamiliar with teaching online, making it imperative to receive course feedback to ensure course delivery was effective. Unfortunately, relying upon university-standard Perceived Teaching Effectiveness surveys (PTEs) proved challenging in an online environment, as response rates and student morale were negatively impacted due to the pandemic. The present case study assessed alternative research-supported methods for soliciting student feedback on teaching effectiveness in asynchronous online courses. Methods identified to improve response rates and to identify areas of teaching to improve/maintain included creating course-specific surveys, offering the surveys multiple times during the semester, soliciting feedback anonymously, and providing extra credit.