Student Course Evaluations

The Department gained a rating of 'Excellent' in the last HEFCE Teaching Quality Assessment. Nevertheless, we constantly evaluate the quality of its teaching programme and modules, and always seek to improve what we do. One of the most important methods of doing so is by asking students to comment on the modules they have taken, the work involved at a particular level, and the composition of our degree programmes as a whole.

Towards the end of every module you will be asked to complete a brief questionnaire, evaluating the extent to which the module has fulfilled its objectives. This will normally ask for tick-only responses to most questions, and will use a simple rating scale, but will also give students the opportunity to provide more detailed responses or free-form comments.

Towards the end of the academic year you will also be asked to provide us with feedback on a whole year (level) of your programme. Students about to graduate are asked to look back over the full programme of their degree course. Many final year students also take part in the National Student Survey (NSS), which seeks views from students on their overall satisfaction with their programme of study. The results of this survey are published nationally.

No evaluations ever require you to give your name. We trust students to take these exercises very seriously and constructively. The issues raised in the course evaluations are considered carefully by the Head of the Department, the Department's Teaching and Learning Committee, the convenors of relevant modules, and the Staff-Student Committee. Changes are made where necessary in response to the evaluation process, and students are informed of changes which been made to our teaching programmes in response to constructive feedback.

If you have any questions about the process or outcomes of evaluating courses and modules within the Department of Geography, please contact the Chair of Teaching Quality: Dr Robert Bryant.