California Lutheran University students now have the opportunity to provide feedback on their remote learning experiences.

The form was designed by the Registrar’s Office and aims to help the university understand students’ experiences learning remotely.

“The intent of the form is to provide students with an avenue to provide feedback about their experiences in virtual courses,” Jessica Lavariega Monforti, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences said in an email interview. The form is an open response questionnaire that “asks whether students have had a positive or negative experience in a virtual class that they would like to share.”

The form can be accessed through the Registrar’s Office website, through the button “Remote Learning Feedback Form.”

Maria Kohnke, associate vice president of Academic Services and Registrar, said the form offers an anonymous space for students to report anything “concerning” in their virtual classes.

Although students’ names and emails are collected in the form, this information can be withheld from what is passed along to the instructor if the student requests.

“Answers are shared with the appropriate academic unit,” Lavariega Monforti said. “For example, The College of Arts and Sciences or one of the schools. It depends where it goes who will look at it. In the College [of Arts and Sciences], the dean’s office will route concerns to department chairs as appropriate.”

Students will be contacted about their submission via email if there is anything that requires follow-up.

“What happens next depends on the nature of the submission,” Lavariega Monforti said.

While the form aims to provide educators with feedback about their remote teaching, some faculty members felt that they should’ve been involved in the development of the form and that there was inadequate information provided on their behalf.

Haco Hoang, professor and chair of Political Science and chair of the Council for the College of Arts and Sciences, said in an email interview that “faculty were neither informed about nor involved in the creation of the form” and that “faculty, including department chairs, only found about the form after it was sent out to students and campus community.”

Hoang said department chairs, including herself, were concerned that this form would encourage negative feedback and not positive experiences.

Since the form has become accessible, it has undergone several revisions in order to capture a more full picture of the student experience. It also reports that responses are anonymous and confirms that they will be re-routed to the appropriate department chair.

“The revised form does now include a way to share positive experiences, and chairs should be forwarded issues that need to be addressed/resolved,” Hoang said.

Although all forms will still be submitted to the dean, they will be re-routed to the appropriate department chair and actions will be taken based on student responses.

“The issue is not whether we offer a feedback opportunity to students about virtual learning, but HOW that information will be captured and used to improve our teaching,” Hoang said.

This article was updated March 3 at 9 a.m. to reflect that the Registrar’s Office designed the form. A previous version incorrectly stated that Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Jessica Lavariega Monforti designed the form.