The University is committed to enhancing the student experience by implementing evidence-based evaluation methods that directly inform and support our Teaching and Learning Strategy.
The Tutor Check-In (TCI) process provides mid-semester feedback to help tutors and Unit of Study Coordinators make timely, evidence-based improvements to teaching and learning.
Designed for tutorials, TCI complements the University’s Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) survey by focusing on feedback for tutors, supporting teaching quality, reflection, recognition and collaboration during semester.
Tutor Check-In (TCI) is a key initiative of ourTeaching and Learning Strategy. The project supports the University’s commitment to enhancing the student experience through evidence-based evaluation.
TCI also helps the University meet its TEQSA requirements to monitor, review, and enhance teaching quality through student feedback. By collecting actionable data on tutoring practices, TCI strengthens quality assurance and reinforces our focus on effective teaching and learning outcomes.
The Tutor Check-In (TCI) initiative supports continuous improvement in teaching and learning by:
Together, these objectives support our goal to lead the Group of Eight (Go8) in student satisfaction by 2032.
The survey currently includes questions on tutor preparedness, communication, and approachability, along with an open-text question that invites students to provide constructive, qualitative feedback on these areas.
A Likert scale is used for the first three items and an open-ended response for the final question.
The survey design has been refined based on feedback from students, tutors and Unit Coordinators who participated in previous pilots, and may be further refined for Semester 1, 2026.
The process is designed to be:
Tutor Check-In is being piloted in phases to test and refine survey design, reporting processes, and communication strategies with direct input from tutors, Unit of Study Coordinators and students.
“The feedback helped me adjust my tutorials immediately and improved student participation.” Semester 1 Tutor.
We ran a smaller, design-focused pilot with seven units and 19 nineteen tutors, to test improvements before scaling both survey and system refinements. Students submitted 678 responses, with 45% providing qualitative comments.
Feedback from student, tutor and Unit Cocoordinator focus groups on the process and survey design, will inform further refinements to survey questions, reporting templates and communications materials to be tested in the Semester 1, 2026 pilot, which builds on learnings from both earlier pilots.
Insights from Semester 1, 2026 pilot will guide recommendations beyond semester 1, for 2026.
Tutor Check-In (TCI) complements existing feedback and reflection activities such as Peer Observation, the Modular Professional Learning Framework (MPLF), Advance HE Fellowships, and the Graduate Certificate in Higher Education. It provides mid-semester/teaching period data that tutors can use alongside other development tools, to strengthen their teaching practices.
TCI is designed to align with, not duplicate, existing tutor reflection and development programs, reducing survey fatigue for students.
Tutors are encouraged to introduce the survey in class and reassure students that feedback is anonymous and used solely to improve the learning experience.
Students do not receive raw results but benefit from tutors sharing general feedback themes and subsequent changes where appropriate.
Students will receive an email explaining the benefits and process of participating in the survey.
Feedback is provided from survey results; access to support resources via Educational Innovation team; and tutor development opportunities. Tutors are encouraged to discuss their feedback with Unit Coordinators.
Student comments need to be confidential to encourage students' open and constructiv feedback. Therefore, all survey data are de-identified before being shared with tutors and Unit Coordinators.
The Advanced Analytics, Planning and Enterprise Data team manages survey design, distribution and reporting, ensuring compliance with university privacy and ethical standards.
Qualitative responses will be reviewed and innapropriate comments redacted. Tutors and Unit Coordinators will receive advice on recognising and mitigating potential bias in student evaluations.
Aggregated reports are being generated to track response patterns in order to surface and contextualise potential biases.
The project evaluation focuses on:
Findings from both Semesters 1 and Semester 2 pilots in 2025 will inform recommendations for 2026, including data integration strategies and support models for tutors and Unit Coordinators.
Survey data are de-identified and accessible only to the relevant tutors, Unit Coordinators, and authorised University leaders.
Results support reflection, quality enhancement and recognition; they alone are not used for performance evaluation or employment decisions.
The design and implementation of the Tutor Check-In (TCI) survey are guided by the same similar principles underpinning the Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET).
The TCI survey will:
For further information contact [email protected]
Education and Students portfolio
Email: [email protected]
Education and Students portfolio
Email: [email protected]