COLUMN: Creating change with evaluations
I’m the director of Analysis, Assessment and Accreditation at Utah State University (usu.edu/aaa). In response to many questions and comments about course evaluations at USU, I’ve been invited by The Statesman to provide some details. Questions I’ve received include: Why do we have course evaluations? How are they used? Why should we care?
Last fall marked the start of the new IDEA online course evaluations at USU. Every enrolled student received emails and reminders asking them to complete evaluation forms online.
The feedback we received was generally positive, but definitely mixed: “Thank you! For focusing on what we’re learning in class,” “Please remove me from your list,” “Filling them out online is a great idea,” ” … a complete waste of time,” “I like the new evaluations,” and “I have some suggestions.”
Course evaluations are very important, but it’s clear to me from reactions to the new system that there is a fair amount of uncertainty and misunderstanding about course evaluations at USU.
Let’s start with a few facts. Course evaluations are used by faculty members to adjust the content and delivery of their courses. I know of many examples where instructors have changed materials, changed course structure and delivery, or changed student instructions as a direct result of course evaluation results.
These evaluations are a source of information used by USU administrators to make decisions about faculty, such as appointment, promotion and merit acknowledgement. They are used by departments and colleges to document student learning and to make strategic choices about course offerings and content.
Course evaluation results are also used by my office as a part of USU’s accreditation process, helping to ensure that USU degrees continue to hold their meaning and value.
Course evaluations represent one of the few direct methods that students have to influence and improve courses at USU. To achieve this they require the broad participation of students. Results with response rates below 65 percent are considered “less reliable,” so if you or your fellow students don’t complete an evaluation, it’s less likely that any student input will be counted for that class.
Courses are also improved through the evaluation portion that focuses on learning outcomes. This is where you tell us what — and how much — you learned. A total of 12 questions must be asked for validity. You can focus on the learning objectives that were relevant to your course.
Course evaluations require constructive feedback. When students include personal opinions, venting or attacks on faculty in the course evaluation process, it undermines any substantive feedback provided by yourself or other students. When faculty or administrators see such comments, they are more likely to dismiss course evaluation results.
I’d like to stress the importance of taking course evaluations seriously. Read the instructions and fully answer the questions and you will help improve the class for future students. Your course experience next semester will be impacted by the evaluations completed by the students who came before you.
It is not well known, but administrators and faculty members carefully read the evaluations for every single course. Evaluation results are available to all students that participate in the process: http://usu.edu/aaa/evaluations.cfm.
Finally, for those who complained about IDEA emails: You are expected to complete course evaluations as a USU student. They are not optional. Reminders to do this are sent out by IDEA. The fastest way to stop getting reminder emails is to complete your evaluation forms.
There are 18 questions on the most common evaluation form, which compares to 25 under the previous system. I’ve tested filling them out. It takes a total of two minutes — three with comments — and is probably less time than it will take to write me an email and to read my extensive reply. That being said, I am interested in all feedback and happy to correspond with anyone who has input regarding the new system. I can be reached at michael.torrens@usu.edu.
Course evaluations at USU are both a measure of student achievement and a method for improving teaching and learning. As such, they are a crucial component of the investment each of you — and often, your parents — have made for an education at USU. Please treat them with the respect they deserve.