Short, class surveys can help instructors deliver effective teaching that aligns with students’ intellectual interests and personal preferences. In my course on public administration in Hong Kong, I use weekly pre-class surveys with great success. Here are the outcomes and some guidance on leveraging them to improve students’ knowledge and understanding of course content.
Learn about your students early on
I make an effort to understand students’ backgrounds at the beginning of the semester to help me tailor my teaching approaches, create supportive learning environments and effectively support diverse student needs. It also helps my students feel valued and respected.
Questions that my colleagues and I ask our students before the start of the semester:
• Have you taken any public administration courses before?
• What is your programme of study?
• What is an important concept in public administration, and why?
Align course content with student expectations
My colleagues and I want to align learning activities with our diverse students’ professional aspirations and personal objectives. We do this by offering additional course readings, creating tailored classroom activities, and modifying discussion prompts. By incorporating student feedback from these surveys into course design, we can create a learning experience that is not only academically rigorous, but also personally enriching for each student. Questions that we include in our survey before the introductory lecture:
• In your opinion, what is the most interesting public administration job?
• What topics should this course cover to help you pursue your professional goals?
• What do you expect to gain personally from learning about public administration in Hong Kong?
Check students’ prior academic knowledge
While topics that students lack background knowledge on require more support from teachers, others that students are more familiar with can be approached in more depth. We must strike a balance between these to ensure a well-rounded approach. To do this, we gauge knowledge level by asking questions such as:
• How is public administration different from politics?
• In your own words, explain policy design and policy implementation.
• What are the common current civic engagement mechanisms used by the Hong Kong government?
Encourage students to think outside the box
We believe public administration is an applied subject and, as such, teaching should go beyond abstract theoretical concepts by integrating real-world scenarios. We ask our students big questions in our surveys to help them explore new perspectives, consider diverse viewpoints and engage in deeper reflection. They include:
• If you were Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, what qualities would you prioritise when selecting your ministerial colleagues?
• What is one lesson about policy implementation that we should remember when the next major health crisis strikes Hong Kong (or your city or country), and why?
• Imagine you are leading a major infrastructure project and the transport department demands more financial resources than the finance department is willing to commit. How would you address this conflict?
- What is student engagement?
- Teach and talk: encouraging student dialogue in class
- Advice for lecturers on how to keep students’ attention
Discuss student sentiment
We include Likert scale statements and targeted questions to ascertain students’ opinions on topics relevant to the course. Presenting the survey findings in class allows students to see how their attitudes compare with those of their classmates. This is especially interesting because of their diverse backgrounds and, as such, generates lively discussions.
Example statements:
• In the next ten years, Hong Kong will continue to be as important to Beijing’s policy agenda as it is today
• In the next ten years, Hong Kong’s economic integration with mainland China will strengthen further
• Identity politics in Hong Kong will continue in different ways, creating long-term, if contained, divisions within society.
Matrix questions:
• To improve implementation outcomes, how much discretion should have been given to the following policy actors handling Covid on the ground?
Column categories: medical professionals, social workers, first responders, teachers and school administrators; public transit workers; food and delivery couriers
Row options: more discretion / less discretion / no change
• What kinds of appointees would you use to fill the following ministerial positions?
Column categories: economic development; environmental protection; administrative affairs; public health; security; home affairs
Row options: politician / civil servant / academic / business leader / political activist.
Qualitative questions:
• What do you consider to be the most definitive characteristic of a relationship between any central and local governments?
• Would you say it is better for administrative power to be more concentrated or scattered in a political system?
We emphasise that students should answer based on intuition and personal understanding, which can prevent them from Googling or consulting AI tools. We also encourage students to keep their answers brief and focused.
Offer opportunities for student feedback
Although institutional end-of-semester surveys solicit student feedback, we believe checking in with students regularly is important for making timely changes. Therefore, we ask students to share comments throughout the course to help us refine the course structure and design, such as:
• What aspect of the course do you find most effective in supporting your learning?
• Are there any topics that you find challenging that require further clarification?
• Is there anything about the course that can be further improved?
Pre-class surveys help us to create better learning communities because both teachers and students benefit from them. They are also simple and accessible.
Adrian Man-Ho Lam is a course tutor in the department of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong.
If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.
comment