Online Course Evaluations

Why are we talking about online instructor evaluations?

At UCSC, responsibility for instructor evaluations rests with departments, which are free to select their preferred method of gathering and reporting student feedback. Since the mid-1990s, the Center for Teaching Excellence has offered a free scantron service for departments who choose to use it.

In May, 2006, the Committee on Teaching (COT) submitted a report to the Academic Senate, recommending that UCSC move forward with implementing an online evaluation system, which would be initially voluntary for departments.

In January of 2008, ITS approved a project proposal to institute a pilot program and produce recommendations to achieve a workable campus-wide online evaluation program.

(If you're interested in commenting or participating in this project, please fill out the feedback form below.)

Online Course Evaluations Work Group

Henry Burnett, Media Services
Orville Canter, Media Services
Jessica Fiske Bailey, Undergraduate Education
Robin Ove, FITC
Jim Phillips, ITG
Kelly Stack, FITC

What is the vision for online instructor evaluations at UCSC?

In broad outline, the vision for an eventual online evaluation system is:

Use of the online system will be voluntary for departments, as the Scantron program is now.
All courses will be evaluated using two or three standard campus-wide questions. These will provide comparable data to help make personnel reviews more uniform.
Additional questions may be written/selected by departments to provide information the department finds meaningful.
A further set of customized questions may be supplied by the instructor, with the responses available only to the instructor. These questions would be used for formative feedback.
Production of standard statistical reports will be automated, to allow faculty, chairs, and designated staff easy access.
Centralized data collection will enable department chairs, and others as authorized, to produce additional aggregate reports.
Students will be notified automatically, and will be able to log into the evaluation system using their regular campus (CruzMail) ID.
While student responses will be anonymous, it will be possible to determine which students have completed their course evaluations.

For a complete description, please see the OCE Requirements document.

What have we done so far?

Progress Report, July 2008, by Ruth Harris-Barnett, former CTE Director
Online Course Evaluations Project Charter, January 2008, by Ruth Harris-Barnett and Henry Burnett, Media Services
Requirements for Online Course Evaluations, December 2007, by Ruth Harris-Barnett
Report from COT to Faculty Senate, May 2006, by Charlie McDowell, former COT Chair
Measures of Success, September 2005, by Ruth Harris-Barnett

What are the next steps?

September 12, 2008: Debrief participants from Spring 2008 alpha test
Fall Quarter, 2008: Plan and implement second pilot
Seek funding to define and implement as a service

Where can I find out more?

UC Davis Online Teaching Evaluations

UC Irvine and Web-based Course Evaluations

Feedback from UCSC Students, Faculty, and Staff

Feedback Form

Please send us your comments, questions and suggestions about online evaluation of courses at UCSC. Although your comments will be forwarded to the members of the Online Course Evaluations Work Group, we may not be able to respond.

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