Online Course Evaluations @ FSU

Instead of spending time during class filling in the paper SPOT forms, students of participating departments were able to conveniently access online forms to provide their feedback about the course and the instructor

At the end of each academic term, students are given the opportunity to share their opinions about the courses they took and the instructors who taught them. These evaluations play a very important role in monitoring the quality of teaching at FSU, and the results are a contributing factor to determine promotion and tenure of faculty members and adjunct instructors.

Traditionally, course evaluations are given out on paper mark-sense forms ("scantrons") which are later scanned at the Center for Assessment and Testing (CAT). This format has many disadvantages that impact the quality of the feedback.

Disadvantages of Paper Evaluations

Packets are not ordered or get lost. The instructor uses the wrong packet. The administration is compromised. The marks cannot be read. The packet reaches CAT after the deadline. The handwritten comments cannot be read.

In summer and fall 2008, CAT conducted a pilot study with selected academic departments to use online forms instead of paper to evaluate all courses regardless of instructional format. While the advantages of this format are numerous the response rate was significantly reduced in most cases. Nevertheless, a statistical analysis showed that, on average, there was no difference in ratings or spread of ratings between online and paper evaluations.

Advantages of Paper Evaluations

Security is improved through limited and controlled system access. Convenient access during a two-week window. No time limit given, no class time wasted. Completing the forms by clicking and typing is easier. Typed open-ended comments are less likely to be identifiable, increasing the anonymity of the feedback. Typed comments can be analyzed electronically and the results, as well as the comments themselves, can be included in evaluation reports. No forms need to be scanned, which reduces time for processing and eliminates processing errors. The cost of administration is significantly reduced. Online surveys offer more options for customization and validation.

Given the critical importance of these evaluations, faculty and administrators are concerned about the low response rates and are now considering various means to increase them. This spring, academic departments will again have the option to use online instead of paper forms, and students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to have their voices heard. Please take a moment to review the instructions for responding to online course evaluations and ask your instructors if your department is planning to use them this term.

Online Course Evaluation Instructions

Students enrolled in classes taught in participating departments or colleges will be informed by their instructor about the pilot test. Notifications for online course evaluations will be sent out via e-mail two weeks before the last day of classes to all students enrolled in sections for which course evaluations were ordered. To access the online course evaluation, students follow the link in the e-mail or go directly to the Online Course Evaluation Student Menu. The menu lists all available online course evaluations and the last date to submit evaluations. Students will have access to complete the evaluations any time during the last two weeks of classes. Each course can only be evaluated once and all submissions are final. Responses are anonymous. The system only tracks submission dates per student to prevent duplicate submissions. Student IDs are not linked to responses.

Any questions or comments about online course evaluations can be directed to Jean-Marc Wise jwise@fsu.edu, 644-3541).

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