Course Evaluation Topics

• Overview
• Contact Info
• Academic Calendar
• Course Evaluations for Traditional Face-to-Face Classes
• Distribution of Course Evaluations for WebTycho Classes
• Course Evaluations For Face-to-Face Short Duration Classes
• Nominate Your Instructor for an Award
• Evaluation Directions for Faculty Administering Forms
• Evaluation Directions for Student Administering Forms
• Evaluation Results
• Instructor's Guide for Reading Course Evaluations

Overview

Course evaluations are conducted routinely throughout the year.  The Office of Evaluation and Assessment is responsible for distributing and processing student course evaluations for all undergraduate and graduate discipl ines stateside and coordinating Asia and Europe.  Data is analyzed in order to identify best practices.  This enables UMUC to continue providing quality educational services and products to all of its students worldwide and provide summary fe edback to individual faculty, deans, asst. deans and the provost's office.

The course evaluation form is available to students enrolled in all courses (in all delivery formats) that carry one or more credits. The form is set on a five-point numerical scale and provides space for handwritt en or typed student comments.  The numerical responses are statistically analyzed and a number of summary reports are generated from this analyzed data. Faculty members receive a copy of their individual summary report, along with student comments (if any) once grades are distributed.

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Contact Information

Mailing Address:
University of Maryland University College (UMUC)
Office of Evaluation and Assessment
3501 University Boulevard East
Adelphi, MD 20783

Phone: 301-985-6735
Fax: 301-985-7640
E-mail: irahe@umuc.edu

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Course Evaluations for Traditional Face-to-Face Classes

Starting in fall 2008, course evaluations for traditional full term length face to face classes will be conducted online using WebTycho. Only short duration classes (weekend classes and classes with less than 30 days in duration) will continue to use paper evaluations.

Professors are asked to remind students in their classes to log on to their WebTycho class and fill out the online course evaluation form. Instruction on the online course evaluations are the same as for WebTycho classes which are listed below under "Distribution of Course Evaluations for WebTycho Classes."

Distribution of Course Evaluations for WebTycho Classes

Students registered in WebTycho courses receive a pop-up dialogue box near the end of the course. The purpose of this box is to inform students that if they do not complete the online course evaluation form for each class, they will be blocked from the class and class menu until the form is submitted. The box will appear at least three times before the students are blocked out of the course.

In the event that any student reports that the online course evaluation isn't available, please direct the student to notify WebTycho Support at their earliest convenience at 1-800-807-4862.

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Course Evaluations For Face-to-Face Short Duration Classes

Each term faculty members teaching short term (weekends classes, 3-5 weeks classes) face to face classes will continue to receive course evaluation packets to their homes. Faculty members are required to make sure they have received the packet and conduct the evaluations around the end of the course. Each pa cket contains the following information:

1. Directions for faculty
   

2. Directions for students

3. Blank course evaluation forms (180KB pdf)
   

4. Stanley J. Drazek Teaching Excellence Award information

5. Return mail envelope

6. Prepaid label

During the evaluation, the instructor designates a volunteer student in the class to administer, collect, and place evaluations in the envelope provided. The instructor is asked to respect student confidentiality and leave the room until the d esignated student has collected all completed evaluations.  The instructor should not administer these evaluations themselves.  To protect the confidentiality of the evaluations, both the instructor and designated student are asked to sign a cross the sealed flap of the envelope.  Either the instructor or the designated student is responsible for mailing the evaluation forms, along with the cover sheet, back to the Office of Evaluations, Research, and Grants at UMUC.

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Nominate Your Instructor for an Award

Students in online and face-to-face courses are encouraged to nominate their instructor for the Stanley J. Drazek Teaching Excellence Award.

Special (faculty) requests must be processed/routed through the dean or assistant dean before referred to the Office of Evaluations, Research, and Grants.

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Directions for Faculty Administering Course Evaluation Forms

Instructions for Faculty

Enclosed are paper evaluations for the short course you are teaching this semester. For all courses that are less than 30 days in duration, students must complete a paper evaluation which is then mailed to our office for processing. If the course duration is longer than 30 days, then the course evaluations are done automatically online via WebTycho.

Please check immediately if your packet contains a sufficient number of forms for your class. If you need additional forms, please contact the Office of Evaluations and Assessment by phone at 301-985-7606 or by e-mail bmao@umuc.edu and we will be happy to supply them.

Instructions for administering the paper evaluation:

1. Explain to students the importance of the evaluations. UMUC is dedicated to providing the best education for its students. This is an opportunity for students to provide anonymous feedback on the course to the faculty and to the university.

2. Remind students to carefully read the survey instructions and to keep in mind that "Strongly Disagree" is a 1 and "Strongly Agree" is a 5 on the scale used for the ratings.

3. Remind students to use a #2 pencil, or blue or black pen to complete the form and to blacken the spaces completely. The scanning machine cannot scan check marks, circles, or other marks made on the form.

4. Tell students to make heavy marks and to erase marks completely if they need to change a response.

5. Designate a responsible and reliable student to administer the forms and collect them when they are completed.

6. Remind the designated student to follow the instructions listed on the enclosed ‘Instructions for the designated student to administer the course evaluations’ sheet to complete the process.

7. Leave the room while students complete the form.

8. Plan to administer the forms during a class session near the end of the term. Please allow 15-20 minutes for students to complete the double-sided form.

9. Sign the back of the sealed envelope containing the evaluation forms across the sealed flap.

10. Mail the sealed and signed envelope within twenty four (24) hours of completion.

Once the evaluations are received by our office, they will be processed and the results will be sent back to the faculty member via email.

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Directions for Student Administering Course Evaluation Forms

Instructions for the student designated to administer the course evaluations

• Distribute ONE evaluation form to each student in the class. Don’t forget to take one for yourself

• Write the following course information on the board for students to use to fill out the top section of the evaluation form

Semester: XXXX
Department Prefix: XXXXX
Course No.: XXX
Section No.: XXXX
Instructor’s last name: YYYY
Instructor’s first initial: Y

• Remind students in the class to use a No. 2 pencil or a blue or black ink pen only and to fill both sides of the evaluation form.

• Provide enough time for students in the class to fill the evaluation form (15 to 20 minutes).

• Collect all the completed forms and place them in the enclosed postage paid yellow envelope along with the unused forms and this instruction sheet.

• Seal the yellow envelope and make sure that both the instructor and you, the designated student, sign the back of the envelope across the sealed flap.

• Hand in the sealed signed yellow envelope to the instructor for mailing.

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Evaluation Results

Results are distributed to faculty within four weeks of the end of the semester.  Content of the Summary Report to the faculty is as follows:

FACULTY REPORT

Purpose:
Provides feedback on student satisfaction with a particular course and faculty; gives raw scores and aggregate rating for instruction and course. Copies are provided to the assistant provost, deans, and faculty and to the Office of Evaluation and Assessment binder.

Contents:
The mean and standard deviation is listed for questions 5-31.  The heading provides the class i.d., faculty last name (first eight characters), and the number of respondents.
The Ratings area provides composite scores for mean and standard deviation for the following groups of questions:

In addition, the faculty report includes the department figures.