Analysing CEI and SET feedback
Introduction
Online CEI and SET responses are automatically collated. You can choose to view this data in a variety of formats. You can also access your data from UniSAinfo reporting (UniSA Public, Section 7). You can also choose to export the data in an Excel spreadsheet which can be saved to your computer.
Analysing the response rate
The CEI and SET will calculate the response rate to the survey. The response is the number of respondents compared to the total number of students enrolled in the course. This is represented as a percentage. The higher the response rate the more confident you can be about any trends or conclusions that can be made from the data.
Analysing the CEI or SET Likert scale mean data
In calculating a mean value of this data, the Likert scale is assigned a value as follows:
- Strongly Agree +100
- Agree +50
- Neutral 0
- Disagree -50
- Strongly Disagree -100
The mean score (ie. average) is the sum of all these assigned value and divided by the number of respondents. The average can be used as an initial indicator of the overall results. A positive average can be viewed as a general indicator that respondents agree rather than disagree, and vice-versa. However, there does need to be a level of care when interpreting results where there is a small number of respondents.
Analysing the CEI or SET open text data
Open text responses provide valuable qualitative data. They permit respondents to provide feedback in their own terms and words. It is important that you follow an organised approach to analysing this data, especially where the number of responses are large. Such an approach might be:
- Read the comments
- Categorise them. For example, are they positive or negative, can they be put into topics such as teaching, assessment, workloads etc
- Are there common themes running through the comments that allow you to make an assertion. Examine those topics and comments and ascertain if there is something from a teaching and learning perspective that is causing it to occur. Keep in mind these can be positive and negative.
- Share your analysis with colleagues to gain further reflection and constructive criticism of your processes.
Furthermore, there is software tools available for analysis of large amounts of qualitative data which you might wish to use (eg NUD*IST, Excel, SPSS).
To further analyse this data, is important to compare it against results for other similar courses over time. See Comparing CEI and SET data to your peers and Using CEI data to improve teaching for more information.
For assistance in interpreting your data and/or identifying processes to improve evaluations, contact the Academic Development team.