One of the most powerful things you can do as a course creator is to consistently gather and implement student feedback. While some creators fall into the "set it and forget it" mindset once their course launches, the reality is that your work is just beginning. To ensure your course delivers the transformation you promised, you need to know what's working, what isn't, and where students are struggling.
But here's the challenge: getting students to actually provide that feedback can feel like pulling teeth. Most people encounter so many feedback requests in their daily lives—from customer support chats to theme park surveys—that they've become almost blind to these requests.
So how do you cut through the noise and collect meaningful feedback that helps you improve your course? Let's dive into some practical strategies that work.
Rather than relegating feedback forms to automated emails or text links that students can easily ignore, build them directly into your course as actual lessons.
For optimal results, implement a three-part feedback system:
When you structure these as actual lessons in your course platform, students need to at least click into them to mark them complete. This creates a natural pause point that increases the likelihood they'll complete your survey.
The way you design your surveys significantly impacts completion rates:
For the Onboarding Survey:
For the Mid-Course Check-In:
For the End-of-Course Evaluation:
Remember to limit short-answer responses, as these take more time and energy to complete. Reserve them for areas where hearing students' specific words adds significant value.
The technical implementation of your surveys matters. Consider these options:
Whatever method you choose, pay close attention to your platform's functionality and make sure the process is seamless for students.
The copy you include with your feedback requests can dramatically improve response rates. Rather than clinical, corporate language, write a heartfelt message explaining:
This authentic communication often makes the difference between a skipped survey and a completed one. Students want to know that a real person will read and value their input.
For evergreen courses with significant enrollment numbers, you'll need sustainable incentives that scale. Consider these options:
The key is ensuring your incentive is meaningful enough to motivate action without creating unsustainable obligations for your business.
When recording course videos, include mentions of the upcoming feedback opportunities. This plants the seed early and frames feedback as a natural, expected part of the course experience rather than an afterthought.
When students hear you talk about the importance of their feedback directly, they're more likely to provide it when the time comes.
For students who skip your in-course surveys, implement targeted feedback campaigns:
Set up automated email sequences triggered by:
Send these emails only to students who haven't yet completed your surveys.
During these campaigns, offer special incentives available only during the campaign period:
Run these campaigns for 1-2 weeks with 2-3 reminder emails to maximize response rates.
In your campaign emails, stress that you value honesty above all else—negative feedback won't offend you and is actually incredibly valuable. Consider offering an anonymity option to encourage candid responses.
If you're still struggling to get feedback through surveys, don't underestimate the power of direct, personal outreach:
This human-to-human approach often yields rich insights when more automated methods fall short. For courses with smaller enrollment numbers, this direct approach is often worth the time investment.
While gathering student feedback is incredibly valuable, it's important to take it with a grain of salt. Remember that your students don't know your content as well as you do. Don't let a single comment—or even a handful—completely change the direction of your course or business.
The best approach is to look for patterns and consider feedback as one important data point among many. When multiple students highlight the same issue, that's worth paying attention to. But a single outlier opinion may not warrant a major overhaul.
Use your expertise and judgment to determine which feedback requires action and which might be less relevant to your core audience and promised transformation.
Gathering meaningful student feedback isn't optional if you want to create a course that truly transforms lives. By integrating feedback collection into your course structure, communicating its importance, offering thoughtful incentives, and following up strategically, you can dramatically increase your response rates.
But remember, the goal isn't just to collect feedback—it's to implement it effectively. Each survey response represents an opportunity to make your course more effective, engaging, and transformational for future students.
Knowing when and how to update your course based on student feedback is crucial to its long-term success. Regular, strategic updates keep your content fresh, address pain points, and continuously improve the student experience.
Read next: How and How Often Should You Update Your Online Course?
Need help analyzing student feedback and implementing effective course updates? My Online Course Audit includes a comprehensive review of your student success metrics and practical recommendations for course improvements. I'll help you determine which feedback represents valuable opportunities for enhancement and which might distract from your core transformation. Let's work together to create a course that truly delivers on its promises.