Student success is the goal behind a new course evaluation program that can be taken for a test drive this fall.
Monday, Sept. 30, is the deadline for colleges, departments and programs to sign up for the pilot program.
“This new online process is designed to improve the quality of the course evaluation questions used and reflect the University’s commitment to student success,” said Dr. Karen Bjorkman, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.
Last year, the Office of the Provost established a committee to review course evaluation processes.
“We were charged with developing and testing a common core of course evaluation questions and exploring a standardized method for deploying class evaluations to students,” said Dr. Amy Thompson, vice provost of faculty affairs and professor of public health.
Thompson and Dr. Christine Fox, professor of educational statistics and research methods, were assisted on this project by Dr. Svetlana Beltyukova, professor of educational statistics and research methods.
They created 12 core course evaluation questions that were tested spring and summer semesters. Nearly 4,000 students answered the questions, and faculty and student feedback on the evaluation process was collected.
A voluntary soft launch of the course evaluation program is taking place this fall, with full implementation planned starting summer 2020.
“Colleges, departments and programs may still add specific questions regarding their areas,” Thompson said.
The course evaluation will be an online process through a new software from Campus Labs. The link for students to complete the questions will be on all Blackboard course sites, and an email with a link to the evaluation will be sent to students enrolled in classes. All responses will be anonymous.
Faculty members will be able to review the course evaluations one week after grades have been submitted.
Colleges, departments and programs interested in the fall pilot program should contact Elissa Falcone in the Office of the Provost at elissa.falcone@utoledo.edu by Sept. 30.
For more information on this initiative, contact Thompson at amy.thompson4@utoledo.edu.
