Examining Online Course Evaluations and the Quality of Student Feedback

The purpose of this article was to provide a comprehensive review of research on the quality of student feedback from post-secondary institutions using online course evaluations versus traditional paper-pencil methods. Nineteen peer-reviewed articles published from 2000 to 2020 were examined for changes to course evaluations following a transition to online collection methods. Three themes emerged from the literature: effects on response rates, presence of non-response bias, and effects on comment quality. Results suggest that using online methods for collecting student feedback tends to decrease response rates somewhat, however, the effect is often temporary. Further, using online methods generated conflicting results on the presence of a non-response bias in open-ended comments with online methods. Many studies demonstrated that online methods increase the word counts in student-provided comments and that the constructive nature of the comments improved as well. The results may inform teaching and policy decisions as more institutions transition to online course evaluation collection methods, particularly given the restrictions imposed by the current COVID-19 crisis. Suggestions for future research include examining the usability of comments as well as trends in student feedback quality following the transition to emergency remote teaching during the global pandemic.