Interpret unit evaluation surveys

For the unit, students are asked for both quantitative and qualitative feedback on their experience of learning in the unit.

SETU recognises that student experience satisfaction is a latent construct. This means it cannot be accurately measured by a single question. It requires multiple indicators working together, with some of the questions being easier for students to agree with and some being harder.

The 9 core unit items generate a single, reliable quantitative score that indicates the overall student experience in a unit. In addition, two open-ended questions provide qualitative data to better understand student experience in their own words.

Click on the tabs below to view how quantitative and qualitative unit SETU data can be read and interpreted

Your unit evaluation score reflects the overall quality of your students' learning experience in your unit. It is a reliable measure of how well your unit's design, organisation, and learning environment supported students’ satisfaction..

The score comes from nine carefully designed questions that work together as a unified measure - for example, like a tape measure that identifies the extent of student satisfaction of a unit. These questions were developed using Rasch methodology and validated with over 21,500 Monash students. You can learn more about the creation of the new SETU instrument here.

We calculate an average of all student responses. This produces one overall score from 1 to 100 that accurately reflects students' experience and which can be fairly compared across units in a faculty .

We don’t look at the individual questions on the measure. They are used to create the (tape) measure but we cannot read significance in them as single items (or marks on the measure).

Your score places your unit in one of four bands, each representing a different level of student experience of a unit.

Use the band descriptions below to understand what the score means and how to investigate further:

Colour keyBand Current practice
purple  Very High
(≥ 89)		Students experience a cohesive and thoughtfully designed unit where assessments, learning activities and resources align well. Moodle pages are considered helpful, materials are seen to be current and communication is seen to support students to succeed. Students’ experience is very positive. Ongoing enhancements or enrichment can be considered if thought to be relevant and productive.
green   High
(71-88)		Students perceive the unit to be organised and purposeful, with clear links between learning activities, assessments and outcomes. Minor issues, such as uneven pacing or a few unclear instructions, may exist for students, but these do not detract from the overall positive experience. Ongoing enhancements, as part of continuous improvement, will further support students’ learning and engagement.
orange 

Medium
(58-70)

Students are engaging with the unit but may encounter inconsistencies that make the learning journey feel uneven. They may notice gaps in how topics connect, or not feel that Moodle and linked resources are not always clear or up to date. Focusing on alignment and clarity across materials and assessments will help create a smoother, more coherent experience. Making improvements to the unit is encouraged.
red  Low
(≤ 57)		Students may find aspects of the unit confusing, particularly in the link of assessments to weekly content and available resources. Some materials may be missing or difficult to locate, and the learning journey may feel fragmented. Strengthening the foundations of the unit will make it easier for students to navigate and get the most from their learning. Gaining support to review and realign the unit is encouraged.

Suggested actions for future practice in each band:

Note

For more information about the methodology of calculating SETU scores, read the SETU Methodology paper.

When reviewing the qualitative comments from students, it can be useful to conduct a basic thematic analysis, to see what sort of sentiments the students could be identifying (both positive and negative). Be aware that themes will likely overlap, as student evaluations cover a wide range of learning and teaching sentiments and these can duplicate and influence one another.

Common themes

Note

For more information about how the AI Summary of the Qualitative Data is created, read the Gen AI summary process paper.