Why is the University of Greenwich implementing course evaluations?

Course evaluations help students to be more actively engaged with their studies. The results can identify best practice in teaching and studying so that this can be used as examples for improvements. If the students have issues with any aspect of teaching or resources (e.g. library and IT resources, class rooms, timetabling etc), these can also be identified so that they can be addressed.

When and how often will the evaluations be run?

Each course will evaluated at least once. This will normally be at the end, but it is also possible that there will be mid-course evaluations.

Which courses are being evaluated?

In general, all courses taken by on-campus undergraduates and taught postgraduates are being evaluated in 2015/16. There may be some exceptions to this rule. The coverage may be extended to partner colleges in future years.

Are the evaluations anonymous?

So long as you don’t write anything in the open questions that makes you identifiable, no one in the Faculty will know who gave which answers.

Centrally, the system can track who has responded so that reminders are only sent to those who haven’t. This also enables analysis of the data together with background information. The results of these analyses will be presented in a way that does not identify any individual.

Where will the information held?

The information is held securely by the University in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

I’ve been given course evaluations to fill out in the past – what is new about these ones?

Many lecturers have been conducting course evaluations for some time, using a variety of methods. Since the autumn of 2014 there is a unified system of course evaluations across the University of Greenwich, integrated into Moodle.

How do I know that there is an evaluation available for me to fill out?

When a course evaluation becomes available, you will receive an e-mail to your @gre.ac.uk e-mail address. The evaluation will also appear in the Evaluations block in Moodle. Here is an example of what the block looks like when there are no evaluations available for you to fill out:

How do I access the questionnaire?

You can access the questionnaire either by following the link in the e-mail or from the Evaluations block in Moodle. The questionnaire should display correctly on computers, tablets and smart phones.

What should I do if I can’t access the questionnaire?

If you have problems accessing the questionnaire, please contact the IT Helpdesk (020 8331 7555 or e-mail helpdesk@gre.ac.uk).

What should I do if I receive an evaluation for a course that I didn’t take?

Please contact the IT Helpdesk (020 8331 7555 or e-mail helpdesk@gre.ac.uk).

What should I do if I haven’t received an evaluation for a course I took and all my classmates have received it?

Please contact the IT Helpdesk (020 8331 7555 or e-mail helpdesk@gre.ac.uk).

What should I do if I filled out the questionnaire about the wrong course?

The University is aware this will happen from time to time and it is taken into account when assessing the results. However, the evaluations have been set up in such a way that no one in the Faculty can identify which questionnaire was filled in by which respondent. This is to ensure that the views expressed remain anonymous to all teaching staff. Unfortunately that also means that we can’t identify a particular questionnaire and move it to a different course.

How long are the evaluation questionnaires?

The questionnaires can vary slightly depending on the type of course, but should take no more than 5 minutes to fill out.

What sort of questions are in the evaluations?

The questionnaire consists mainly of statements asking you to tick an answer on a scale from agree strongly to disagree strongly. The topics covered are: course organisation and management, teaching and engagement with learning, assessment and feedback, and facilities and resources. There are also two open questions where you can write in your own comments.

Can I write anything I like in the open questions?

Please don’t write anything that identifies you personally (as your answers would no longer be anonymous).

If there are aspects of the course that you were unhappy with, you should obviously say so, but please be aware that your views are more likely to be listened to if you make comments that are constructive and polite. Don’t write anything that is abusive or libellous.

If you were happy with the course, please say so – good practice can be used to improve other courses.

Do I have to fill out the evaluations?

The evaluations are not compulsory, but the University would be very grateful if you would take part. Each evaluation takes only a few minutes to do and will help the University improve the student experience for you and other current and future students.

Do I get to see the results?

When the evaluation closes, students who have responded will receive an e-mail which allows them to look at the results for the course on line. (In order to preserve anonymity, it will not be possible to display results if there were fewer than 5 respondents).

The results should be accessible from computers, tablets and smart phones, but some students had problems in 2014/15 which were probably caused by popup blockers or virus checkers. If you can’t see the results, please try on a University computer as this normally works. If you still can’t see them, please contact the IT Helpdesk (020 8331 7555 or e-mail helpdesk@gre.ac.uk).

How do I know that my course leader has looked at the results?

Course leaders are asked to comment on the results on the Moodle News Forum. This should normally happen within 10 working days after the end of the survey, but that timescale may not always be possible, e.g. if the course leader needs to consult colleagues who also teach on the course. (Please note that the University is shut 24 Dec 2015 – 1 Jan 2016 and this period does not count as working days).

How will the University use the information from the evaluations?

The information from the evaluations will be used to identify good practice to be used as an example for improvements in teaching and learning. The information will also be used to identify a variety of issues that students want to raise. These will then be addressed by staff within departments and Faculties and by the University as a whole. If necessary, staff will be required to draw up Action Plans for improvements. The results will be considered by University committees, such as the Student Experience Committee, and will also be available to elected representatives and the Students’ Union.

The results will also be stored in the Portal so that future students choosing courses can have a look at them.

If I comment about something, how soon can I expect to see change?

This will depend a lot on what you have commented about. Some things can be changed quickly, others will take some time. Since most evaluations will take place at the end of a course, any course-specific changes are in practice more likely to be of benefit to future students. More general changes may benefit you on your future courses.

Sometimes there are good reasons why lecturers and/or the University do things in the current way, so it is not always be possible to change things in response to student views (and all students may not agree with each other about what needs to be changed). There will be opportunities for student representatives and staff to discuss the results of the evaluations (e.g. on programme committees), so that students can get a clearer picture of what changes can be made in response to their views.

I have heard this referred to as the ‘Evasys project’ – what is Evasys?

Evasys is the software that the University is using to conduct the evaluations.