{"id":6798,"date":"2023-04-03T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2023-04-03T13:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ele.local\/?p=6798"},"modified":"2023-04-03T08:45:32","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T13:45:32","slug":"new-survey-uses-student-feedback-to-assess-equity-in-digital-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.everylearnereverywhere.org\/es\/blog\/new-survey-uses-student-feedback-to-assess-equity-in-digital-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"New Survey Uses Student Feedback to Assess Equity in Digital Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new survey instrument developed by Digital Promise in partnership with Every Learner Everywhere\u00ae gives colleges and universities a way to use student response to inform course and program improvement for equity in digital learning.<\/p>\n

The Equity in Digital Learning Student Survey<\/a> is a tool faculty and institutional research offices can use to assess equity practices in digital learning methods. By utilizing student feedback, educators are provided with valid evidence to inform course and instructional improvement toward more equitable practices.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnless we intentionally build digital learning tools into courses with equity in mind, those tools aren\u2019t effective,\u201d says Patricia O\u2019Sullivan, Content Manager at Every Learner Everywhere\u00ae. \u201cUsed uncritically, the tools aren\u2019t always reaching the populations we want.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the Every Learner value of\u00a0 \u201cnothing about us without us\u201d as a guideline, says O\u2019Sullivan, the instrument design prioritizes the student experience. Improving outcomes for Black, Indigenous, Latino, poverty-affected, and first-generation students requires student engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re experts in their own experience, and they\u2019re going to have insights into how equitable digital learning experiences are,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Assessing course quality<\/h2>\n

Designing this new instrument builds on other efforts to gather student perspectives on the experience of online learning throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people found during Covid that students were falling behind or dropping out,\u201d says O\u2019Sullivan, \u201cso there was a lot of reaching out to students to hear why it\u2019s difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, in July 2020, the occasional Time For Class survey series conducted by Tyton Partners (in consultation with Digital Promise) focused on student satisfaction with the rapid transition to online learning<\/a>. Similarly, the report Student Leaders Speak 2021: Student Voices Informing Educational Strategies<\/a> captures the perspectives of students on equity and digital learning through a survey and original interviews.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/a>

Sample page from the Equity in Digital Learning Student Survey instrument<\/p><\/div>\n

The Equity in Digital Learning Student Survey enables individual departments and institutions to gather the perspectives of their students as part of their program assessment and continuous improvement. The appendix includes results from a nationally representative sample of the survey conducted in April 2021 for the purposes of benchmarking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Building the instrument<\/h2>\n

The Equity in Digital Learning Student Survey was designed to be adapted for assessing different courses and institutions, and Digital Promise collaborated with two student fellows<\/a> on survey design to make it more accessible. The survey was revised to maximize engagement based on student and faculty feedback garnered from early testing.<\/p>\n

One use for the survey is as a starting point for assessment, says O\u2019Sullivan: \u201cIf faculty, departments, or program committees aren\u2019t really sure how to get feedback from students on the intersection of equity and digital learning, this gives them a place to start.\u201d<\/p>\n

The instrument notes the literature supporting the survey design as well as suggestions for administering it. It also includes suggestions for revising the wording of questions for different contexts.<\/p>\n

Some of the elements covered in the survey include:<\/p>\n