How to implement the strategy

1. Using the “Form” option in Office365, create an online form that students can fill in with feedback and suggestions.  

2. TechGenix provides easy-to-follow steps for creating a suggestion box.  http://techgenix.com/designing-a-digital-suggestion-box/.  Instructions for creating anonymous forms are provided under ‘Settings’. 

3. Be specific.  If this is the first iteration, ask students for feedback or suggestions on a particular topic or learning activity you have created.  Ensure the question for feedback encourages students to think about how they learned and what they learned from a topic or activity.  

For example: Today we learned about topic Y.  What other areas relating to the topic would you like to learn about? 

Today I implemented X-activity in the session.  Please provide one positive aspect and one area of improvement for the activity.   

4. Posting of the suggestion box is up to you.  You can have it available to students throughout the session so they can make suggestions as they come to mind; or you can post the link at the end of the session.   

The purpose of the strategy

This simple class assessment tool allows you to monitor the effectiveness of teaching; how well students are keeping abreast of the content; or engaging with an active learning activity.  Anonymity heralds the message is the focus of the exercise.     

The feedback from this activity enables you to find out where your students are at.  In addition, motivate learning by incorporating student suggestions in the design of teaching sessions.  This validates suggestions and demonstrates topic relevance through a wider context.     

From a student perspective, articulating suggestions and feedback requires that they examine their understanding about the topic before conveying their thoughts in a message.

Read More

Dr Jonathan Wilson, University of East Anglia, shares 5 reasons for adopting a suggestion box.  His blog also includes his experiences and suggestions for incorporating this active learning strategy.  

Further Reading

Boazak, M., Cotes, R. O., Ward, M. C., & Schwartz, A. C. (2019). Explorations with a residency-wide, online, anonymous suggestion box: A roller coaster ride. Academic Psychiatry : The Journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic Psychiatry, doi:10.1007/s40596-019-01084-0 

In this paper the authors describe the implementation of a suggestion box to capture anonymous real-time feedback.  The authors discuss challenges with the feedback received in this manner and how this was managed.  This paper is a good reminder to examine our assumptions before implementing any teaching activity. 

Technology that can be used to enhance the strategy

Office 365 - Forms

Class size that is suitable for the strategy

• 100+ students
• 20 - 50 students
• 50+ students
• < 20 students

Activity group size

• Individual

Year level in which the strategy is often used

• First year
• Post graduate
• Second year
• Third Year+

Discipline area (Academic Group) in which the strategy is often used

• Arts Education and Law
• Griffith Business School
• Griffith Health
• Griffith Sciences
• Other Group

Phase of the learning and teaching session in which the strategy will be used

• Conclusion to the session
• Main phase of the session
• Post session

Preparation time for the strategy

• Less than 10 minutes

Duration of the strategy

• Less than 10 minutes

Level of learning outcome that the strategy is designed to address

• Understand

Learning space appropriate for the strategy

• Online

Preferred Citation

Learning Futures (2019). Digital Suggestion Box. Retrieved from https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/exlnt/entry/8829/view