Structured group-feedback meetings…
…are a form of group interview frequently used to gather student feedback. They
usually involve a group of students discussing one or more aspect of their learning
experience. A clear structure is needed in order to:
1. ensure that student reactions are screened by a process of having to explain and
defend their statements in front of peers
2. ensure that all students get an equal chance to put forward their views
3. ensure that students have time to think through their comments
4. enable students to respond to, and learn from, the comments of others
5. prevent the more articulate or more aggressive students from dominating
proceedings
6. prevent minority or extreme views dominating the discussion
A structured group feedback meeting is likely to take between 45 and 90 minutes but
the time is well-spent because of the opportunity it gives students to think through their
own views individually and then test them against the views of peers. Both of the
structured processes described below enable the lecturer to take a more neutral role
and / or a third party to conduct the actual feedback session. Another major advantage
is that they both ensure that the outcomes are fully recorded.
Recommended process 1:
Stage 1: Working alone, students make individual responses to questions about their
module or programme. Questions are best structured into a simple pro-forma as in
examples A) and B) below:
Structured Group Feedback Pro-Forma: Example A:
Good Points
About the Course
About the Teaching
About us, the Students
Bad Points
Structured Group Feedback Pro-Forma: Example B:
Things about the course that I would like to see:
STOPPED
STARTED
CONTINUE
Stage 2: Working in groups of about 4, students record those comments which receive
majority support within the group. No comment may be recorded which does not
receive majority support.
Stage 3: In plenary, the teacher takes, in turn, one point under each of the headings
from each of the groups. If a majority of the whole group agrees with the statement it is
recorded. If it fails to receive majority support it is discarded. The process is repeated
until all comments from all groups have been exhausted. The whole group is then
invited to make adjustments to the overall picture that has emerged. This can include
voting to either delete minority views or (more usually) to give some indication of
comparative strength of opinion.
A Variation on the above as recommended by James Wisdom (Consultant to CTL on
Evaluation), is given as on the following page.
Recommended process 2 (thanks to James Wisdom for this version):
1) Create a strong, clear question or topic
2) Ask the students to start by working on their own to note down whatever is
appropriate, for example their answers to the question and their reasons, or solutions to
the problem, or the questions or problems they would like to raise, or the points and
topics they think are important. Allow 5 - 10 minutes. Make the time allowed very clear,
and stick to it. Discourage chatting at this point. Have the instructions, the topic and any
other important information written up on a slide, flipchart or whiteboard for their
reference.
3) Ask the students to work in pairs, to compare what each has noted and to prepare an
agreed list between them of the most important points (or whatever). As the class will
now be talking, use the OHP to keep them informed. Allow 5 - 10 minutes. Make the
time clear at the beginning and stick to it.
4) Ask the students to work in fours, fives or sixes. Again, their task is to prepare an
agreed list of points, in order of priority. Declare and stick to time. Make one of the
group will responsible for making the list and reporting on it when the time comes arrange this at the very beginning. Move round the groups seeing how they are getting
on, finding out if they need more time etc.
NOTE: This process still works if you leave out stage 3 (the pairs) and go straight to
groups of four. If you want to have groups of five or six, then it is better to leave stage 3
in. Also, if you have silent and / or shy students, definitely keep the pairs stage. At least
by the end they will have talked to somebody but even in fours they can stay silent.
Don't have groups larger than six - they are too hard to manage and they make more
noise. The definition of a group (for these purposes) is that they members must be able
to make eye contact - insist on this. Move furniture, swivel students, keep the groups
small if the room isn't good. They might think you are fussing, but this is essential.
5) The main session. Ask each group in turn to make their first and most important
point. As their spokesman says it, write it on a flipchart, whiteboard or slide (or ask a
student to take over the writing). Promote discussion about each point, and note down
the essentials of the argument. Don't let any group run away with their whole list move round the groups evenly, perhaps taking three or four turns round the room
before all the points are exhausted. The records can be copied and distributed later as
class notes. The students might be asked to compare their initial jottings with the final
discussion. For an hour's session you need to drive the early stages quickly to allow for
35 - 40 minutes for the main session; 1½ hours is more comfortable. With practice it
can be reduced to a short session at the end of a lecture.