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FAQs for Faculty and Staff
Course Evaluations at WSU
and the New Online System in Blue
Updated 3/30/2015
I.
COURSE EVALUTIONS AT WSU
Students are asked for feedback about their experience in their WSU courses, via a course evaluation with
questions determined by the college or department offering the course.
Over the next two years, WSU is moving into an online course evaluation system. In 2014-15, about half of
WSU’s classes have moved into WSU’s online student evaluation system, using the question sets
determined by their college. About half of the colleges are still using other formats, such as scantrons or
paper questionnaires. By Fall 2016, all classes are expected to offer course evaluations in WSU’s online
system.
1.
Which classes are using the new online student course evaluation in Blue?
Most classes in the following colleges offer course evaluations in WSU’s new online system, which represents about
half of WSU’s total courses:
College/Program:
Course Evaluation Coordinator:
College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences
Carson College of Business (online only)
College of Nursing
College of Pharmacy
College of Veterinary Medicine
Honors College
Voiland College of Engineering
Alanna Ellis
Deborah Brood
Sarah Simmons
Ryan Maynard
Nancy Dernell/Laura Kinslow
Cathy Elstad/Peggy Perkins
Kirk Reinkens /Mistie Larch
Chemistry Courses
Roots Courses
Courses offered online though Global Campus
2.
Greg Crouch
Clif Stratton
Sandy Field
What about online classes?
All courses offered online through Global Campus use the new system for course evaluations, in any college.
3.
When will other classes start offering course evaluations in the new online system?
Other colleges will move into this system in the coming two years, by Fall 2016.
Until they move, most courses evaluated in these colleges will continue to use scantron or paper evaluations*:
College of Arts and Sciences
Carson College of Business
College of Education
Murrow College of Communication
College of Medical Sciences
Vancouver – most courses
Tri-Cities – most courses
* Courses offered online by these colleges through Global Campus will use the new course evaluation system.
Updated 3/30/2015
Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning
page 1
4.
Will my class get an online course evaluation or a scantron/paper form?
Please review the list of colleges in question 1 above and check with your college or department if you aren’t sure
what kind of course evaluations you’ll get this semester.
5.
I’m using the paper method; do I have to move to online?
All classes offered by WSU will move to online course evaluations by Fall 2016; question sets, reports, and delivery
dates are coordinated at the college-level.
The Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning is available to work with colleges to develop and validate their
online course evaluation questions, and is collecting current literature review and good practice samples to share. The
online system offers a much greater variety of question types and analysis than scantrons or paper surveys do, so it is
not advisable to simply move scantron or paper-based question sets into the new system. The new online system is
flexible, and over time, can offer separate sets of questions by a department as well as by college, or even a program
within the department or college, or specific question sets for specific sections (such as lab sections, lecture sections,
and online sections, for example).
6.
What questions are on my course evaluation?
Questions are determined by your college.
The new online system is flexible, with a wide range of question types available. Over time, your college may choose
to offer separate sets of questions by department or even a program within the department or college, or specific
question sets for specific sections (such as lab sections, lecture sections, and online sections, for example). In the
future, instructors will be able to add their own questions to the course evaluation, as determined by each college in
coordination with ATL.
7.
What are the benefits of transitioning to an online course evaluation system?
The many benefits include:
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8.
Faculty will have electronic records of their course evaluations, including comments.
Student confidentiality is better protected online than as written comments on paper.
Students have more time to complete thoughtful responses and provide meaningful comments.
Students get email reminders to complete course evaluations.
Students can use mobile devices to complete course evaluations.
The new system allows for more flexibility in reporting and analysis.
Faculty who prefer to not schedule time during class for paper evaluations will no longer need to do so.
In the future, faculty will be able to add their own questions.
What about response rates? I hear they go down with online evaluations.
Online response rates vary significantly among universities, and technology alone does not determine response rates –
the engagement of instructors and academic leaders can have a significant impact on student participation.
In our Spring 2014 pilot of the new system, which involved 68 courses across 6 colleges, the colleges had average
response rates between 62% and 84%. In Fall 2014, many departments had overall response rates of 70% or above.
There are many strategies that help improve online response rates. The most effective way to boost response rates is
for instructors to let students know that they read and consider the course evaluation responses each semester, and
make changes based on student input. Some instructors also give a small amount of extra credit to students who
complete course evaluations. ATL expects to have discussions at WSU about good practices in our local context and
will be collecting and sharing good practices as part of the transition to online evaluations.
Additional FAQs about the specifics of using Blue begin on the next page.
Updated 3/30/2015
Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning
page 2
II.
9.
FAQs about using Blue, WSU’s new online course evaluation system
How will students get to the online course evaluations in Blue?
Students may access their online course evaluations in two ways:
A. Email invitations: These are sent to the email address students indicate in zzusis as preferred. If the student
does not receive the email, he/she will need to log into zzusis to make sure that the preferred email is
selected.
B. Zzusis to Blue Dashboard: Students log into zzusis and choose the Blue Dashboard to see the online course
evaluations for courses they are enrolled in. Evaluations will show up in the dashboard as they are opened
by each college.
C. Since students can use a laptop or mobile device, instructors have the option of giving time in class for course
evaluations. ATL provides slides to your college coordinator which instructors can use to guide their class
through the new process.
10. Can I share the link to my online course evaluation in my class?
Instructors who want to share a link in class can direct students to log into zzusis, select the Blue Dashboard in the
center column and select your class.
Link to post in class: zzusis.wsu.edu
Screenshot of the students’ Blue dashboard in zzusis appears at the end of these FAQs.
Since students can use a laptop or mobile device, instructors have the option of giving time in class for course
evaluations. ATL has provided slides to your college coordinator which instructors can use to guide their class through
the new process.
11. Will I be able to monitor response rates while my online course evaluation is open for students?
Yes. The instructors of record for each course can login to zzusis to review response rates while the evaluation is open
(see last page). Final response rates will be included in the summary reports in Blue.
If you give credit to students who complete your course evaluation, contact your college’s course evaluation
coordinator in order to get a list of student names, after the window has closed for completing course evaluations (see
#1 above for a list of college course evaluation coordinators). You will be able to access the list via your Blue
dashboard, accessed via zzusis (screenshot on page 5).
12. Can I check my online response rate using a mobile device?
Yes. WSU’s new evaluation system adjusts the display for laptops, smart phones and tablets, as well as desk top
computers. Each instructor has a Blue dashboard that can show live response rates. Log in to zzusis (see page 5 for
instructor screenshot).
13. Can I add my own questions to the online evaluation?
The new online system can allow instructors to add additional questions for each course. This optional feature is being
phased in over time, as determined by each college in coordination with ATL.
Updated 3/30/2015
Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning
page 3
14. How do I get my results from course evaluations in Blue?
1.
Email notification: Faculty receive an email indicating the instructor summary reports are ready to be viewed.
Reports will be available after all grades are submitted. For Fall 2014, instructor reports were available in
January.
2.
Zzusis Instructor Dashboard: Instructors can also view their reports by logging into zzusis and selecting the
Blue dashboard in the center column. For Fall 2014, instructor reports were available in January.
15. How do I save a copy of my course evaluation report?
Instructor reports in Blue will include a link to a downloadable PDF file. ATL is working with Blue and college
coordinators to provide CSV formats in the future.
16. Who else will have access to the results of my course evaluations done in Blue?
This semester there is no change in who can review individual faculty course evaluations in your department or
college.
The new online system offers great flexibility and control for sharing results with other people; for example, results
from specific questions about the course could be useful for a curriculum committee or program assessment. ATL will
work with colleges and departments to explore these new opportunities over time and ensure appropriate
confidentiality.
17. Who should I contact for support with course evaluations in Blue?
Logging into zzusis: If you have trouble logging into zzusis, contact 335-HELP.
For all other questions, instructors should contact their college coordinator (listed in #1 above) or report a problem by
emailing: [email protected].
18. How does the December closure impact student course evaluations in Blue?
Each college determines the date that their student course evaluations close. ATL staff are not be available to respond
to questions or online help requests during the December closure.
Updated 3/30/2015
Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning
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INSTRUCTORS
I
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STUDENTS
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