Student Rating of Courses and Teaching
information and dates
Beginning with the Fall 2026 semester, the all-college student ratings of courses and teaching will solely be administered online. To facilitate online ratings, the College is now using SmartEvals software. Students will access their forms via emailed links and on their landing page in theSpring. Additionally, instructors will be able log in to SmartEvals to display a QR code for their course that students can scan to complete the form. Forms will open to students on a rolling basis depending on course end dates (e.g., short-term courses). Instructors will receive response rate updates via emails during the administration period.
timeline
- Term: Fall 2026
- Course Withdrawal Deadline: November 12, 2026
- Ratings forms open for students (full-term courses) November 27, 2026
- Last Day of Classes: December 11, 2026
- Ratings forms close for students: December 14, 2026.
- Start of Exam Week: December 15, 2026
- Grades Due Date: January 4, 2027
exclusions
The following student course registration types and courses do not participate in ratings and will not receive a link to participate:
- Auditor
- Independent Study
- Senior Thesis
- Internship
BIAS STATEMENT
This statement is at the top of every ratings form that students receive and should also be read in class (for more information, see below).
鈥淪tudent ratings of teaching play an important role in the review of instructors. 麻豆果冻传媒 recognizes that unconscious and unintentional bias may emerge from perceptions of the instructor's race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, first language, religious and spiritual tradition, age, ability, and socioeconomic status. Research on American higher education has shown that women and instructors of color are systematically rated lower than white men, even when there are no actual differences in the instruction or in what students have learned.
As you fill out the course ratings, please keep this in mind and make an effort to resist bias. Focus on the content of the course (the assignments, the textbook, the in-class material) and teaching effectiveness, and not unrelated matters (e.g., the instructor's appearance).鈥
faculty expectations and information
The College is encouraging best practices to maximize response rates and minimize bias, and we need your assistance. CEPP and the DOF/VPAA ask instructors to follow these practices:
- Instructors will receive an email approximately 2 weeks before the ratings period opens for students. It will contain the courses to be rated for that instructor. Please review the course list. If you see discrepancies (e.g., missing courses, courses that should be excluded, etc.), please email Kerry Nelson (or call x8309) as soon as possible and provide a brief description of the issue.
- Choose a class meeting date before the last day of your class to allow students to complete their form in class. Forms will be closed shortly after the last day of classes and they will NOT be available to students during Exam Week.
- Announce the date you will ask students to complete the form and ask them to bring a device (laptop, tablet, or phone) to class.
- Designate in-class time for completing student ratings of courses and teaching. Allow at least 10-15 minutes for students to give thoughtful responses.
- Tell students that you appreciate their feedback. Encourage them to complete the ratings by talking about ratings during class. Let students know that you will review their feedback and use it to inform changes. Share how you have used student feedback in the past.
- Inform students that their responses are anonymous (SmartEvals prevents 麻豆果冻传媒 from matching responses to student names), and that instructors will only see results after grades are released.
- Assign a student or someone other than the instructor to read the 麻豆果冻传媒 biases in course ratings statement (above) in class before time is given to take the form. Some students may have completed the course rating already; however, you are still expected to provide class time for all students to complete their forms.
- Links will be emailed to students and placed on their landing page in theSpring. Additionally, you (the instructor) may log into the SmartEvals MyEvalCenter and display the QR code with the bias statement on a screen. If needed, students can scan the code and complete the forms.
- Remind students to work independently and not talk during the designated time.
- The instructor must leave the room while students complete the forms.
- Reports with results will not be sent to you until after the College鈥檚 grade due date. They will come from evaluations@smartevals.com. If you have not received your reports, email Kerry Nelson for assistance.
- SmartEvals provides an . Not all of the functionality presented by the vendor is available.
DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, PROGRAM DIRECTORS, & ASSISTANTS
- Chairs & Program Directors and their Department/Program Assistants will have department/program-level access to SmartEvals. This will allow them to see all of the information for their department or program.
- Approximately 2 weeks before the ratings forms are made available to students, every instructor will receive a list of their course offerings that will be rated. They should review this list and report concerns to IR immediately.
- Additionally, Department Chairs, Program Directors, and Department/Program Assistants
will receive an email asking them to log into SmartEvals and review the courses being rated for their Department/Program as a whole.
On the green ribbon at the top of the screen, click Preview Evaluations
-
- Select Current Classes from the menu on the left and Not Started from the middle module
- A list of classes that will be rated for your entire department or program will display
- If desired, click Customize, to adjust the columns displayed, including adding the survey begin and survey end
dates.
To preview upcoming courses in SmartEvals, log in to the system.
-
Again, any concerns should be reported to IR immediately.
- Reports with results will be emailed to individual instructors and departments from SmartEvals (evaluations@smartevals.com) after the grade deadline has passed. Reports will also be accessible on the SmartEvals website.
STUDENTS
Your thoughtful feedback helps instructors understand students鈥 experiences and can inform future improvements to courses and teaching.
- Watch for your course rating links. You will receive links by email from evaluations@smartevals.com, and they will also be available on your landing page in theSpring. Your instructor may also display a QR code in class.
- Complete your ratings before Exam Week. Course rating forms close shortly after the last day of classes and are not available during Exam Week.
- Bring a device to class. Your instructor will likely designate class time for completing the ratings. Bring a laptop, tablet, or phone so you can access the form.
- Allow 10鈥15 minutes. Take time to provide thoughtful, constructive feedback about the course and your learning experience.
- Complete your ratings independently. Please do not discuss your responses with other students while completing the form or thereafter.
- Your responses are anonymous. SmartEvals prevents 麻豆果冻传媒 from matching your responses to your name.
- Your instructor will not see results until after grades are submitted. Instructors receive course rating reports only after the College鈥檚 grade due date.
All-college reports for Faculty, Chairs and program directors
Spring 2026 and Prior
Information regarding understanding your results, all-college averages, and research studies can be found here (password required-faculty only).
If questions or problems arise, please email Kerry Nelson or call x8309 and include: instructor鈥檚 name, department, course title, course number, and course section.