Most of us are very familiar with the traditional ways colleges gather student feedback and measure student engagement. End-of-course evaluations are nearly universal in higher education, and they can offer helpful information about the student experience. However, these surveys are backward-looking and rarely provide the kind of nuanced, candid insight we need to make meaningful changes in our teaching and course design choices. Recent research backs this up. Becker, Brandt, and Psihopaidas (2021) found that student evaluations often miss the deeper contextual and emotional dimensions of learning that instructors need to make meaningful improvements. Their study demonstrated that when students are asked to talk through their experiences in real-time conversations, such as student panels, instead of rating them on a form, they reveal far more about what supports or hinders their engagement. Continue reading →