Distance Learning Association Conference Recap (Pt. 1)
Session: “Using Formative Student Evaluations for Course and Program Improvement”
Facilitator: Professor Amanda Harmon Cooley, South Texas College of Law, Houston
Last week at the Distance Learning Association conference in Jekyll Island, we sat in on a fishbowl-style session that turned out to be one of the most candid, energetic, and revealing conversations we’ve heard in a while.
Led by Professor Amanda Harmon Cooley, the session, “Using Formative Student Evaluations for Course and Program Improvement”, brought together instructors, academic technologists, and administrators to unpack how course evaluations could work… and why they often don’t.
Here’s what we heard—and how we think we (and others in the space) can rise to the occasion.
The Challenges: What Faculty Are Really Saying
- Instructors aren’t even looking at evaluations.
This one hit hard. Several attendees admitted what many suspect—faculty often skip reading their evaluations. Why? Because they’re pushed to review them at the end of the semester, when it’s too late to act. - We’re missing opportunities with summative-only feedback.
Current evaluation systems focus on summative data—feedback delivered at the conclusion of a course. But as one participant said, this leaves no room for real-time corrections or meaningful dialogue while students are still engaged. The feedback arrives… just in time to be filed away. - Students tune out when their feedback has no visible impact.
There was broad consensus: students will stop giving feedback if nothing changes. When feedback doesn’t lead to tangible action—or worse, doesn’t even get acknowledged—it undermines trust. - The questions don’t always help.
Participants brainstormed types of questions that would actually serve instruction mid-stream:
- How are you doing so far?
- What do you not have from me?
- How is the pacing of the course?
- Do you feel ready for what’s next?
Simple, actionable questions that make students feel heard—not just surveyed.
Where EvalSystem Stands Apart
During the session, our team had the chance to weigh in and outline some of the unique ways EvalSystem is approaching the exact challenges we heard from the attendees. We also had the chance to pick the brains of real, dedicated instructors to better understand the opportunities our industry faces to improve student experiences at large. Here’s what we discussed:
- Real-Time Formative Feedback
EvalSystem allows institutions to deploy formative evaluations at any point in the term—not just at the end. Faculty can send quick check-ins, pulse surveys, or targeted prompts tied to specific milestones. Want to know how your students are doing after week 2? Ask them. And adjust. - A System That Shows Students They’re Heard
EvalSystem empowers institutions to close the feedback loop. Instructors can easily share back “What we heard” and “What we’re doing about it” with students via email or course messaging. This simple act dramatically boosts legitimacy and response rates—because students see the impact. - Smart Question Templates (You Can Actually Use)
EvalSystem is building ready-to-go formative survey templates based on real instructional goals, not generic rubrics. Want to check on pacing? Confidence levels? Content clarity? We’ve got that—no instructional design degree required. - High Response Rates by Design
We’ve built EvalSystem to be frictionless for students, tightly integrated into the LMS, and mobile-optimized. The result? Drastically improved response rates, especially during the semester when it matters most.
What We (and Others) Should Keep In Mind
We left the session with a clear sense that this isn’t just an EvalSystem problem to solve—it’s an industry-wide call for better listening.
Here’s what all of us, including our fellow EdTech and LMS partners, should take away:
- Give faculty easier ways to launch quick, targeted surveys.
- Help institutions track which feedback was acted on—and where it made a difference.
- Guide students to expect feedback loops, not just evaluations.
- Make questions simple, authentic, and non-defensive.
Final Thoughts
If formative feedback feels like a luxury, it shouldn’t. It’s one of the most powerful tools in the toolkit—and when done right, it can transform how students engage, how instructors teach, and how programs evolve.
We’re grateful to Professor Cooley and all the voices in the room last week for their honesty, their urgency, and their ideas.
Let’s turn that feedback into fuel.