This study explores how business schools solicit feedback from postgraduate students on their course learning experiences. Traditionally, the feedback that students provide on a specific course has been framed within a client-service model that emphasises customer satisfaction over knowledge development as a contributor to national economic development, often reducing complex learning experiences to simplistic transactional/satisfaction metrics. The paper argues that this approach can lead to a misalignment between sustainable education goals and student expectations by undermining the true value of education derived by the student as an agent of change towards sustainable economic growth. Through a qualitative analysis of existing feedback tools completed by students, this study examines the quality of student feedback practices in South Africa. The paper also critiques the commonly used feedback instruments suggesting alternatives that emphasise student growth, critical thinking for economic impact, professional development, and improvement of the course design and delivery in the future. The study argues for a shift of the structure and approach of course evaluation instruments from a transactional evaluation to a reflective practice, focused on learning as a catalyst of sustainable business education. Although the study acknowledges that feedback alone may not contribute to overall progress of the courses, the findings underscore the need for business schools to adopt feedback mechanisms that recognise students as co-creators of knowledge and contributors to their learning communities for sustainable impact. As such, redesigning the structure and style of feedback forms is critical to ensure that students provide more effective course feedback.

Authors:
Sanele Nhlabatsi, University of South Africa, South Africa
Binganidzo Muchara, University of South Africa, South Africa

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Sanele Nhlabatsi, Senior Lecturer in Project Management, Graduate School of Business Leadership, University of South Africa. Her research focuses on project management within developing economies, specifically project complexity and resilience.

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanele-nhlabatsi-64a5b04

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sanele-Nhlabatsi

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