A descriptive study of the factors involved in obtaining student feedback: designing practical strategies to increase student response rates.

The project aim was to explore what were the common factors of why students (all modalities and types) do and do not respond to course evaluations. As well, we examined those successful strategies used by academics to increase response rates. From this examination we collated these successful practical strategies that engage students from across disciplines within CQUniversity. A key focus was on the comparison of staff perceptions, of what they were doing well, and the student experiences of what was being done and not done in high and low response rate courses. This paper examined the outcomes of this research by utilising a descriptive exploratory method. What was found in the outcomes is based on the distillation of 50 years of research on good teaching practice; that is, the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education by Chickering and Gamson (1987). These principles form the basis of the Learning and Teaching Framework at CQUniversity. This research supports this framework in terms of curriculum design and delivery, with a focus on the learning requirements of the student through the obvious use of these Seven Principles.