The Student Feedback Questionnaire (SFQ) is a system that PolyU uses to collect feedback from students on teaching and learning. The SFQ system is faculty/school-based, i.e., different faculties/schools may have slightly different policies, procedures, and SFQ forms. However, the purposes, processing, and intended uses of the SFQ are essentially the same.
Under this system, students are asked to complete the SFQ in class to provide feedback on their experience of studying a subject. This SFQ exercise normally takes place in the last few weeks of the semester. However, for subjects that involve more than one teacher, it may take place earlier, when the teaching of the particular lecturer comes to an end. Some lecturers may also use the mid-semester SFQ to solicit feedback from students so as to modify or adjust their teaching to improve learning for the remaining weeks of the semester.
The PolyU values good teaching. We cherish the promotion of meaningful and relevant learning for our students, and believe that both teachers and students have a shared responsibility to enhance learning. Your feedback on teaching and learning will provide valuable information for us to assure the quality of our programmes, identify the strengths and weaknesses of the existing teaching and learning methodologies, and help us to improve the quality of teaching in the PolyU. In so doing, to help you learn better.
The SFQ forms that complete are processed and analysed centrally by the Educational Development Centre (EDC), not by the academic departments concerned with the teaching. After analyzing the data, the EDC will produce a summary report for each class-set of the SFQ data received. This will show the average rating, and the distribution of students’ responses to each of the items on the SFQ form.
The SFQ reports will be sent to the individual lecturers concerned and their respective Head(s) of Department. Programme teams and members of the Departmental Learning and Teaching Committee (DLTC) may also receive the subject-related SFQ results. Summaries of the SFQ results of individual departments will also be sent to Deans and Vice Presidents (VPs) concerned to ensure the quality of teaching and learning activities of departments and programmes.
The following diagram shows how the SFQ forms are processed and reported:
The system for collecting student feedback will not be effective without your support. You can help to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in the PolyU by giving us thoughtful feedback on your experience of studying here, and to provide constructive comments and suggestions on how your learning can be further enhanced.
We believe that good university teaching is one that produces meaningful and relevant learning in students. Spoon-feeding is not good teaching. When you provide your feedback, try to think more in terms of the extent to which the teaching has helped you to achieve the following, and how it can be further improved to help you achieve more:
Your feedback will not affect your assessment grades for the subject. The feedback is anonymous and you are not required to put down your names on the SFQ forms. The SFQ reports will contain only the class-average information, and the SFQ forms will only be returned to the teacher concerned after the results are finalized in the Board of Examiners Meeting.
You can see the items
included in the Faculty/School-based SFQ forms by following the links below:
§ Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles
§ Faculty of Construction and Land Use
For any queries or
suggestions about the PolyU SFQ system, please contact
Dr. K.P. Kwan, SEDO, Educational Development
Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Tel: 2766-6320 E-mail: etkpkwan@polyu.edu.hk