Making course evaluation exercises count—a reprise

This paper builds on an earlier conference presentation at the West-East Institute, Harvard University in 2019. Following further critical dialogue on mass experimental online learning influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the now two authors sought to answer the question of how can educators make course evaluation exercises count? The objective was to assess the viability of reflective journaling as an alternative form of course evaluation. Consequently, the authors used a mixed-method approach to, firstly, analyze ordinal data collected from seventy-one (71) postgraduate engineering candidates (89% response rate) on their attitudes towards learning. Secondly, the authors analyzed the textual data on the candidates' self- and educator-led initiatives to enrich their learning experiences. The findings revealed a paradox—the candidates hope to have gained in-depth knowledge at the end of their courses (topmost-ranked: mean = 4.704 and SD = 0.700) but do not attend most classes with questions in mind that they want to be answered (bottom-ranked: mean = 3.451 and SD = 1.072). Analysis of the textual data showed face-to-face lecture/class attendance and the overall course design as the most common student-led and educator-led approach, respectively. Finally, the authors discuss the practical and theoretical implications considering the burgeoning online education.