Feedback can improve multiple aspects of your online class, whether we’re talking about your app, content, or even marketing. Requesting genuine feedback and giving genuine feedback can be nerve-racking for most. Even if you are a seasoned teacher, it’s a vulnerable position to be in; however, there’s nothing more valuable than receiving feedback from the people who take your classes.

The biggest enemies of getting excellent feedback are generalities. The first is students’ tendency to respond with comments that are non-specific such as “good class” or “I didn’t like it” without explaining further. The second is that people will often say things they think you want to hear, instead of what you need to know.

To get effective feedback, you have to ask the right questions. You might decide to create a survey if you want to save time. I would advise you to utilize the interview method, which means talking with at least five learners who have completed your class.

No matter which method you select, take the following questions as examples to adapt to your situation.

1. Questions regarding the class

These questions help you find out what learners’ overall impressions are, from start to finish. They will be more general; think of this as a warm-up. For instance, ask them to state the top three adjectives that come to mind when they think of the class. This type of info helps teachers refine their marketing message and attract new learners.

• Why did you select this class?
• What did you enjoy the most?
• What did you want to get out of this class?
• What one thing would you change about this class?
• Why did you complete this class?
• Who would you recommend this class to?

2. Questions regarding the curriculum

The biggest opportunity for improvement is in your class content. Your learners can offer insight, so this should be your focus, particularly if you have limited time or want to develop a brief survey. Make sure that you cover all aspects of the class, such as organization, logical flow, extra materials, and the quality of your content.

• How would you rate the visuals?
• How easy or complicated was it to understand the ideas?
• Which topics do you wish were more detailed?
• Did you Google some topics while taking the class? Why?
• How would you rate the class in terms of how it was organized?
• How would you assess quizzes in terms of question variety and covered topics?
• Did you skip any parts? Why?

3. Questions regarding student outcomes

Learning outcomes are used to evaluate the effectiveness of a class. If the purpose of an online class is to lead the learner from point A to point B, you need to know whether the class achieved that, to what degree, and how the class can be improved to help others learn.

• Have you applied anything that you gleaned?
• Are you comfortable with applying what you gleaned?
• What was the most important thing that you gleaned?
• Did the class make you rethink a topic?
• Name one topic that you didn’t know.

4. Questions regarding class interaction

These questions aren’t essential, but they can help you comprehend how individuals interacted with your class and with other learners. This can help you improve the overall experience or assess how effective your efforts were. It’s also a way to uncover whether there were any obstacles to learning, such as busy schedules or difficulties in accessing the class on a mobile device.

• Did you connect with other learners?
• What do you think about the gamification features?
• How did the class fit in your life?
• How would you rate the experience on M-learning devices?
• Were there any times when you were frustrated?

If you’re doing an interview, you can utilize all these questions and even create your own. If you’re developing a survey for your online class, utilize six to seven essential questions, depending on what you want to achieve.

Concluding thoughts

So, there you have it, questions that you should ask learners to get actionable feedback on your online courses. Do you have any additional tips, techniques, or strategies that you would like to share with our readers? If so, leave them in the comment section below.