How your Course Experience Survey feedback can elevate academic life

At RMIT, the quality of the student learning experience is at the core. One key way to gather valuable insights to enhance students' courses is through the Course Experience Survey (CES).

What is Course Experience Survey (CES)?

The Course Experience Survey is a vital instrument for RMIT to evaluate the quality of the student learning experience at the course level. Through the CES, students are invited to provide feedback on various aspects of their courses, including content, structure, assessments, teaching quality, and overall experience.

Upon the opening of the CES, usually from week 9 to the end of the academic semester, RMIT will send an email with a direct link to complete the survey to all students enrolled in a higher education course or vocational education program.

Sample CV section featuring work-integrated learning information

Through their considered feedback, students contribute directly to the ongoing enhancement of educational standards at RMIT.

For our lecturers, CES matters

Your voice creates real change as every comment and rating helps our lecturers learn and improve the learning experience. Here's how your feedback is already making a meaningful impact in the classroom.

Dr Joshua Dwight, Associate Program Manager of IT and Software Engineering at the SSET School in Hanoi, shares that the CES has been instrumental in helping him understand what students enjoy and what activities they find less engaging. This insight empowers him to adapt and create more purposeful and meaningful learning experiences, ensuring students feel more connected and engaged across different courses.

Dr Dwight shares that the CES has been instrumental in helping him understand what students enjoy and what activities they find less engaging.

Dr Nguyen Khanh Linh, a lecturer in the Management Program at the Business School, teaches Business in Society and Strategy courses across both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Through the CES, she enhances her teaching journey by actively incorporating student feedback and suggestions, continuously refining her approach to education.

She also shared these engaging learning methods with her colleagues to help improve their teaching strategies. Every piece of feedback goes beyond just words — it helps lecturers learn, grow, and improve their teaching in future courses.

Meaningful changes start from you

Real change doesn’t always start big — sometimes, it begins with a single comment and behind every great class is students that dared to speak up, or just to express what they like to see.

Dr Linh shared a vivid example of her efforts to enhance the student learning experience at RMIT. When she first began teaching, she tackled the challenge of making theoretical knowledge more engaging by incorporating interactive quizzes like Kahoot. Initially unsure of the impact, she soon realised its value through student feedback. This feedback enabled her to refine the quizzes and expand their use across other courses.

Dr Linh encourages RMIT Vietnam students to have their say in the CES.

Similarly, Mr Dwight also embraced the feedback from his Cyber Security class, where students expressed enthusiasm for site visits. Driven by their excitement, he expanded these experiences to include various fields and locations, enriching their education. "I try to take the feedback and apply it across other courses,” he explained.

“It shows me what truly interests students, not just in this course, but in cross courses like cloud computing and project management." Therefore, the insights shared by you don’t just help lecturers improve the courses you’ve already taken — they also influence the ones you’ll experience in the future, helping to create a more complete and rewarding learning journey.

Tips for your CES feedback

All CES feedback are anonymous and carefully sorted, as RMIT recognises the importance of confidentiality of student feedback and safeguarding the integrity of academic assessments. In fact, once submitted, they are filtered and aggregated at the course or program level by the CES team. Only after your final grades have been officially released do these feedback reach the respective teaching staff.

To make sure your voice can get to those who need to hear them in the right way, just follow these 3Bs when sharing your thoughts:

Be Constructive: Think of your feedback as a chance to build something better — not just point out what’s wrong. When you share your thoughts clearly, kindly, and with a focus on solutions, we can turn your ideas into real improvements for your student experience.
Be Professional: Your words carry more weight when they’re expressed respectfully. Using professional language ensures your comments are taken seriously and included in our reports. Anything with inappropriate or offensive language might be filtered out automatically, and we don’t want your voice to be missed.
Be Open: Honest feedback is powerful. Whether it’s something that’s working great or something that needs to change, your openness helps us see the full picture and take meaningful action.

Dr Linh wholehearted encouraged: "We seriously take student feedback and use it to ensure that what we do in the classroom truly benefits them. So, speak up and watch us level up. Complete your CES survey today and shape your own learning experience for the better."

Got thoughts on any course? Fill out the CES and make your voice count!

Take the CES

Story: Pham Thanh Thao, a Professional Communication student at RMIT Vietnam, with inputs from Dr Joshua Dwight and Dr Nguyen Khanh Linh.

13 May 2025