"Instructors are using these (SPOT) evaluation results to identify course elements and teaching methods that are successful as well as to flag areas where improvements should be considered."
- Patricia C. Hayward, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Academic Support

How Instructors Use Evaluation Results

A golf player can gauge her performance by seeing where the ball lands after teeing off. She then uses this immediate feedback to adjust the force and direction of her swing as necessary, until the ball is in the hole. Faculty members at Florida State University also need feedback to ensure that they are on track for fulfilling the university’s mission of providing excellence in teaching. One set of indicators they use are students’ perceptions captured on feedback forms at the end of each term. Using one of the official forms (SPOT, SPOT II, or eSUSSAI) students rate the course and the instructor on a number of predefined scales and provide additional feedback in open-ended questions.

The process starts with faculty or departmental staff placing orders for course evaluations in the first few weeks of the term. Since Fall 2003, orders can be placed online with a few simple clicks. About three weeks before the end of the term, all ordered course evaluation packets are sent to the departments for distribution to faculty. Next, each faculty member selects a reliable student in each class to proctor the evaluations. “You should review the instructions in the packet with your proctor to make sure he or she understands the importance of properly administering the evaluations and promptly returning the completed packet to our office,” states Dr. Bonnie Armstrong, Assistant Director of APPS in charge of the Center for Assessment & Testing. “It is also very important to check the label on the course evaluation packet for accuracy. We cannot process course evaluations if the name of the instructor or the course number doesn’t match up with the information on the forms.”

Once the results are available, faculty, administrators, and students can view them on the Web site of the Center for Assessment & Testing. More detailed feedback is confidentially accessible to faculty and selected administrators. Faculty members use the results to identify areas of improvement. If necessary, they can work with instructional specialists and attend workshops at the Center for Teaching and Learning. Students use the results to help decide which course sections to enroll in. Program directors, department chairs, deans, and the provost, review course evaluation results each term to identify trends, take corrective action, and extend appropriate recognition for excellence.

• Improving Your Teaching with Feedback (from A Guide to Teaching & Learning Practices) (168 Kb)
• Improving Student Perceptions of Your Course (Online workshop with Dr. Bonnie Armstrong)
• Public SUSSAI Records (Search by term, department, or instructor)
• SPOT Archives (Access requires FSUID login)
• Modify Your Teaching Approach

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