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Overview

NC State implemented a new, online course evaluaiton system in spring 2007. Critical features of ClassEval include:

• The results are confidential.  Instructors are unable to isolate a single student’s responses, and users other than instructors and department heads are unable to isolate the results for a single instructor.
• All courses in all terms, including distance education courses, are evaluated.  There are a few exceptions.
• A central office, University Planning and Analysis, coordinates administration and reporting.  Only the staff person who creates the reports has access to the data.
• Instructors and department heads receive standard reports.
• The evaluation consists of a common core of questions, including 14 close-ended questions and 4 open-ended questions. Four additional questions are added for lab sections.
• Eventually, there will be an opportunity for colleges, departments, and individual faculty members to add their own, individual questions.
• There will be an opportunity for custom analyses across core and college- or department-wide items.
• The system will be assessed regularly and improvements made.  Of primary concern is a response rate adequate to assure a valid assessment of instruction sufficient for use in promotion, tenure, and merit.

Every Instructor and TA listed by departmental scheduling officers as having a percent of instruction greater than zero is evaluated. Students taking classes with multiple instructors will be prompted to evaluate every instructor. Instructors of lab sections will also be evaluated. Instructors of cross-listed and piggy-backed courses will receive a single report for the entire class regardless of how the students registered for it.

The online system is being phased in and we will improve the system as we go.  Initially, only core questions will be administered.  In future semesters, individual instructors, departments, and colleges will be able to add their own questions.  Of primary concern is a response rate adequate to assure a valid assessment of instruction sufficient for use in promotion, tenure, and merit.

Class Evaluation is a partnership among several entities. 

• The University Standing Committee on the Evaluation of Teaching Committee (EOTC) is the governance body responsible for monitoring and enhancing the evaluation process.  EOTC oversees the online system, including the common core of questions included on the instrument, reporting policies, and regular evaluation of the system.
• A ClassEval Implementation Team advises on details associated with administering the system.
• University Planning and Analysis (UPA) is responsible for administering the system consistent with the advice of EOTC and University Regulations and Policies.  UPA provides information about the system, solicit individualized questions, construct the questionnaire, prepare a clean data file, generate and distribute reports, and evaluate the system.
• Registration and Records (R&R) is responsible for hosting questionnaires, communicating with students to administer the surveys, and creating the database.

The online system was developed by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and is being moved to a university platform.  The University is indebted to the CALS Academic and Administrative Technology group for supporting the system until UPA can assume full responsibility.