Spark - Course feedback system instructions

Course feedback is collected at LAB through the Spark study feedback system. Students can give course feedback in the system and read summaries of feedback reports and teachers' responses to the feedback given.

Spark can be found in Moodle in the top menu of the front page and on the Moodle platform for each course. Spark works in the language you use Moodle in anyway. You can change the language selection in Moodle.

It is recommended to use browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox or Edge. Spark can also be used on mobile devices.

Possible problem situations:

Always read these instructions first. If the feedback service does not work as instructed, try

log out of the service, close your browser, and
sign back in to the Spark service.
Try a different browser as well.

If that doesn't work, report the error to: spark@lab.fi

Give feedback in Spark

Spark front page: Study feedback

On the Spark front page, you will see a summary of the courses for which your registration has been approved and valid, and for which there is an active feedback survey. On each row, you can see the name and code of the course in question. As well as the name and type of the feedback form (e.g. final feedback = course feedback or mid-term feedback).

The summary on the front page shows the status of the feedback form for each course: it can be either

active (blue speech bubble) + GIVE FEEDBACK
- Response time in progress, how many days to fill in the feedback form
Feedback report available (green bars) + SHOW REPORT
- The response period has ended, you can open a summary report of the averages of all responses
Response to feedback available (green speech bubbles) + VIEW REPORT
- the response period has ended and the teacher has prepared a response to the feedback, you can open the summary report and read the teacher's response

If you don't see any surveys in the front page view, it means that you don't have any active surveys that you could answer, or that would include a summary report or the teacher's response to feedback.

If you did not give feedback during the response period, please note that

the survey will be removed from the list on the front page immediately after the end of the response period,
You will not see the feedback report or the teacher's possible response to the feedback given.

Course feedback form

You can open an individual active feedback form by clicking on the button "GIVE FEEDBACK" at the end of the course row on the front page. On the new page, you can see the name and code of the selected course, the teachers and the name of the feedback form (e.g. final feedback = course feedback). You can also see how many days you have left to respond - the form closes on the last day at 23:59.

The Show course details button shows additional information related to the course. Viewing the information does not interrupt the giving of feedback.

Answering is always anonymous (unless you write your own name or other information that could identify you in the open answer).

After giving feedback, click on the button "SEND REPLY". After a successful submission, you will see a thank you page.

You can only leave feedback once for each course, and you will not be able to edit the answers afterwards. Also, it is not possible to remove responses from the system.

NOTE! There is a time limit for logging in, i.e. the session will end if you are inactive on the site for a long time. However, surveys are auto-saved, which means that you can continue an unfinished survey later.

Feedback reports

When the response period has ended, all students who have given feedback will automatically have the opportunity to read the summary report. The report contains averages of all numerical evaluations given. You can see the number of responses and the response rate in the report. Open-ended answers are not included in the summary report.

Open the summary report on the front page, in the row of the course in question, by clicking on the "SHOW REPORT" button. The front page also shows how long the summary report will be available for the students who have responded.

If the teachers write and publish a response, you will see the text "Report and response to feedback readable" on the front page. On the front page, you will also see the text "Report and response to feedback available". The front page also shows how long the response to the feedback will be available. Click on the button "VIEW REPORT". The response to the feedback written by the teacher(s) is right at the beginning of the page.

If you did not give feedback during the response time, you will not see the report summary and you will not be able to allow the teacher to respond to the feedback received.

Reminder messages

Processing feedback at LAB

At LAB, all feedback is taken into account and it is assessed what measures can possibly be taken and what is already working well. Teachers process the course feedback they receive and take it into account in the further development of courses. Feedback and survey summaries are discussed in discussions between teachers and supervisors, in working groups and units that are responsible for the measures taken based on the feedback.

Some of the feedback may lead to various development measures very soon, and some of the feedback will only be visible in the development of the activities over a longer period of time. The development measures of the course feedback will also not be visible to the students who have given feedback when the course has already ended.

Feedback should always be given; even when there is nothing special to say and you would be quite satisfied, e.g. the course is "OK". It is also important information for the teacher. The more students give feedback, the more reliable information is obtained for the development of courses and education.