submitted by pike@augsburg.edu
The working group on the University Course Survey revision continues its efforts this spring. We suggest that all faculty to take 20 minutes of class time (as was done with paper and pencil forms) and allow the students to complete the current form on their laptops, phones, or computer lab. Faculty should be absent from the room during this time. It is helpful to tell the students prior to the class session so that they bring their devices and taking the 20 minutes at the beginning of a class session. All evidence indicates that this process will bring the response rates that are of faculty concern to response levels that are reliable and useful.
The new form is being piloted this spring with approximately 30 faculty and thus several hundred students across disciplines and types of courses. The proposed form is designed to assess student perceptions of the quality of their learning experiences in courses and does not directly measure teaching effectiveness or student learning. Those important aspects are better measured in other ways.
Data from the pilot will be presented to the faculty in September. If any additional faculty would like to pilot the new form in summer school courses, please contact group co-leader, Scott Krajewski krajewsk@augsburg.edu by June 8.
Questions or comments are welcome to any member: Kristen Chamberlain, Diane Pike, Terrance Kwame-Ross, Ben Denkinger, and Kelsey Richardson Blackwell. Additional information is on the working group’s web page.