Message from the Faculty Affairs Committee (University Senate)

Course Evaluations Fall 2013
Course evaluations will again be administered automatically online by the college offices beginning the week after Thanksgiving Break. Students will receive a reminder notice for each class every 3 days for two weeks.  Faculty members will receive one notice at the end of the first week only if their response rate in a course is below 60%.  You may give students time in class to use their smart devices or lab computers to complete evaluations.  If you do that, please leave the room while they complete evaluations.

Background on Changes in Course Evaluation Process

HSU piloted online administration of course evaluations in Spring 2013 in response to the CSU mandate requiring that all courses be evaluated each term.  During Fall 2013 the University Senate, after reviewing the pilot report, made online administration permanent, and assigned administration to the colleges, summary reporting to Institutional Research and Planning (IRP) and oversight to the University Senate Faculty Affairs Committee.

The report on the Spring 2013 pilot noted similar response rates for online administration (with many reminders) compared to response rates in years past with paper administration.  Mean scores with online administration were .1 lower than with paper administration. 

At the request of students and faculty members, the Senate directed college offices to send fewer reminders than were sent during the pilot term.  It is likely that response rates, and perhaps mean scores, will change given fewer reminders.  The senate directed IRP to provide each term summary reports on means scores, response rates and other measures for comparison and use in personnel matters.     

Course Evaluation Instrument

Faculty Affairs convened a faculty committee that will meet in Spring and discuss  possible changes to the instrument.  That Committee will make their recommendations to the Senate by the first meeting in April 2014.  Faculty members may send their suggestions to committee members.

Marisol Cortes-Rincon, Anthropology
Jayne McGuire, Kinesiology & Recreation
Brandon Schwab, Geology(Nancy Dye, Psychology, is the liaison to the Faculty Affairs Committee)