Student Evaluation of Instruction

Type

Procedure

Category

Students

Department

Academic and Student Affairs

Phone

(541) 463-5344

Primary Contact

Grant Matthews

Contact Email

Responsible Executive Authority

Vice President, Academic and Student Affairs

Purpose

This procedure describes the components of the student evaluation of instruction, and the responsibilities of faculty and academic deans for administering and using the evaluations. Student evaluations provide one method for evaluating the teaching component of the learning environment.

Narrative

Statement of Purpose

The primary function of Lane Community College is to provide a quality learning experience in a caring community. The faculty foster the learning environment through teaching excellence. To monitor and improve levels of teaching excellence, the Faculty Council and Office of Academic and Student Affairs have created this Student Evaluation of Instruction. This evaluation provides one method for evaluating the teaching component of the learning environment. Evaluation questions were selected to provide information for a faculty member to create a better learning environment and to become a better teacher. The Student Evaluation of Instruction:

  1. Allows students the opportunity to express their opinions about the quality of instruction at Lane.
  2. Contributes to an instructor's evaluation, specifically for the instructor's self-improvement.
  3. Provides aggregate data for each department and the administration. The most effective use of the data gathered from the evaluations is in aggregate where it will reveal instructional strengths and weaknesses.
  4. Creates a college-wide system of feedback about instruction for faculty.

Process and Standards for Use

Evaluations are required of all full- and part-time faculty. All courses (not sections) for each instructor will be evaluated once a year in a random, rotating system where all classes and sections will be evaluated over time. For example, instructors who teach more than one section of a course will be evaluated for only one section each year. In subsequent years, the remaining sections (different times of day) will be evaluated. Faculty may choose to evaluate all of their own classes and sections. Division chairs may not require faculty to evaluate all classes and sections every term unless it is part of the faculty's developmental or corrective plan. All new classes will be evaluated for each instructor. A modification of this system may be arranged through Faculty Council.

The office of Institutional Research (IR) will provide a hard copy of the multiple choice section of all course evaluations to both faculty and division/department chairs within a reasonable amount of time. Aggregate/division data is public information. It is not appropriate to post individual faculty data.

The evaluations may identify problems that require more comprehensive problem solving which will be addressed according to the faculty contract. Faculty are encouraged to use additional evaluation techniques on a regular basis to gather more class specific information.

Division chairs are responsible for establishing a system for ensuring that evaluations are conducted for all faculty in a randomized, rotating manner and where all courses are evaluated each year.

Faculty are encouraged to explain the purpose and use of evaluations to students prior to handing them out in class, especially how they make use of student feedback.

Faculty are expected to ask for a student volunteer (or designate a student) to hand out evaluations to the class and read the Student Statement. Exceptions can be made for special conditions.

Faculty must be out of the room while students are completing evaluations.

Students will be given responsibility for taking the evaluations from the classroom to the office where they are to be given to an office staff person. Faculty should not handle completed evaluations.

Faculty are expected to provide no less than 10 minutes during class time for students to complete the evaluation. Departments and faculty that elect to include departmental/faculty questions should provide a minimum of 20 minutes.

Faculty will not be given evaluation results before grades have been entered (results will be disseminated after the last day of finals week).

Faculty and division/department chairs will receive a hard copy of the multiple choice section of the evaluation from each class evaluated that term within a reasonable amount of time by inter-campus mail (sufficient time for IR to tabulate results, make copies and distribute). Faculty will receive copies of written comments and administrative feedback within contractual guidelines.

Evaluation Questions [Under review for revision by Faculty Council, Fall 2005.]

A total of 30 rated questions are possible for each department. Twelve rated questions and two open-ended questions have been developed for use by all departments. These 14 questions are the only required questions. Departments have the option of adding up to 13 more questions. Each faculty person also has the option of selecting up to five additional questions specifically for their own use.

Department Questions: Departments may create up to 13 of their own questions as long as they fit the established response format (strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree, does not apply). Departmental questions are to be selected by the department faculty and submitted to Testing before the fifth week of the term. This deadline gives Testing sufficient time to create a special sheet for each department so that results will be accompanied by a synopsis of each departmental question. Department/division questions may be copied onto the back of the standard question sheet or can be handed out to students on a separate piece of paper at the same time as the all campus questions. Department questions must be numbered #13-25.

Faculty Questions: Faculty members choosing to include individual questions must also create questions using the established response format. Faculty should not give his or her questions to Testing. The results will be reported by Testing without a synopsis of the question. Individual faculty questions must be numbered #26-30. It is suggested that faculty questions be either attached or copied onto the department question page to help eliminate confusion and amount of paper used. It is entirely the prerogative of the faculty to share questions with their department/division chair.

Student Evaluation of Instruction Form
Student Statement

Date Adopted

Thursday, June 1, 2000

Date Last Reviewed

Saturday, October 1, 2005