Improving Course Evaluation Response Rates: A Success Story.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Academic Administration

Background:

• Declining student participation in course evaluations hinders curriculum improvement.
• Traditional methods to increase response rates have often been unsuccessful.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel approach implemented at the University of Minnesota Medical School to address low student response rates in course evaluations.
• To evaluate the impact of making course evaluations a required professional expectation on student participation.

Main Methods:

• A system-level policy was developed with input from diverse stakeholders, including students.
• Key components included clear communication, dedicated evaluation time, opt-out options, and non-punitive follow-up for non-compliance.
• The policy framed evaluation completion as a professional expectation.

Main Results:

• Student response rates increased from approximately 50% to 94% in the first semester post-implementation.
• The policy was met with minimal pushback from the student body.
• The intervention demonstrated a significant improvement in feedback representativeness.

Conclusions:

• Mandating course evaluations as a professional expectation, supported by stakeholder buy-in and clear processes, is an effective strategy to improve response rates.
• This scalable model ensures more comprehensive feedback for medical school curriculum development.
• The approach balances accountability with student autonomy through opt-out provisions.