A new student course evaluation system that replaces the current one this upcoming spring semester will feature fewer, more focused questions and a mobile-friendly interface.
This year’s curriculum committee, which includes faculty members and students from all divisions of campus, began evaluating the current survey system and discussing necessary changes in the beginning of the fall semester.
From there, they appointed a subcommittee consisting of Dr. Carrie Read Spray, Adult and Graduate Studies Instructional Design Coordinator Melinda Smith, and SGA Vice President Tyler Spencer to make the revisions. The subcommittee also worked alongside Kevin Wells, Coordinator of Institutional Research, for the implementation process.
“It has been widely accepted that the existing end-of-course surveys aren’t ideal…and have needed revision almost since inception,” shared Smith. “Unfortunately, there have been hotter fires burning the past couple of years, so the committee hasn’t been able to act on the surveys until now.”
The subcommittee approached the revisions by considering how the questions can help students give feedback in a shorter amount of time. They removed and combined questions, as well as compared the survey system to that of other schools.
The Curriculum Committee also plans to actively seek feedback from students and take their input into account for further revisions. Soon, students will be allowed to test the survey and provide feedback.
The committee urges students to take this opportunity seriously.
Smith suggested, “It’s a subject we know has irritated you, so please don’t ignore the email—participate in the process and help us make the survey better.”
The student course evaluation system has been infamous among students for its time-consuming, repetitive nature, as was expressed in a previous article by Stephen Dever. Despite its current alleged flaws, professors still use it as a resource to revise course content. The information is also still utilized in other areas, like faculty promotion and tenure applications and reports to the Board of Trustees.