Course Evaluations Provide Key Information for Continuous Improvement
Course evaluations are important because they help Davenport faculty and staff review course workload, materials, and outcomes to identify areas for improvement. Student feedback is also used to evaluate instructors and improve teaching skills and methods. Instructors should explain the importance of course evaluations and how the results are used. Research has shown that students are more likely to complete evaluations when they understand that their feedback will be used.
Frequently Asked Questions
The objective for course evaluations is to improve the learning experience for students.
The evaluation is used to perform continuous improvement on course content. Feedback on the course such as workload, textbook, syllabus, and outcomes is reviewed and used to assess and revise courses as needed. The feedback is also used to evaluate instructors, which will help improve their skills and provide faculty development opportunities. Instructors use the feedback to determine what students think is working well and if adjustments should be made to ensure learning objectives are met.
Student satisfaction is extremely important to everyone here at Davenport. Student Evaluations help Department Chairs make more effective staffing choices and also help instructors who may not be adequately transferring knowledge to their students. Feedback on textbooks and course materials also help instructors improve their teaching materials. By providing your feedback, instructors can tailor their courses to meet the needs of their students, and ensure that each course is informative, engaging, and fun. Be assured, multiple individuals spend time reviewing the feedback with the goal of improving learning and the student experience. Your evaluation is doubly important if you felt that there was an issue with a particular course. Your feedback will be used to improve courses and instruction immediately.
No, instructors cannot see evaluations until after all grades have been turned in for the semester. Only after grades have been submitted are evaluations released to the instructors. The evaluation data is presented in a summarized fashion, meaning instructors do not receive each evaluation separately. Any comments made are grouped together, so an instructor cannot connect your ratings to your comments. Some instructors offer points for completing the evaluation; this is done using an honor system with the student self-reporting completion of the evaluation.
Students access the evaluation system by visiting: Course Evaluation
Evaluations will be open for submission during the last two weeks of each of your classes.
The evaluation should not take more than 15-20 minutes. Please be thorough with your answers. The open ended comments section is extremely beneficial to faculty and staff as they allow you to provide suggestions and feedback, which may fall outside the standard rating system.
Additional information can be found on the Evaluate Student Exerience website.