Course Evaluations
Student feedback can provide valuable insight about the student experience that contributes to effective teaching and learning. Course evaluation responses about learning outcomes, academic experiences, perceptions, and motivation can also provide useful data about curricular effectiveness, as an indirect measure for program-level assessment. For example, if students consistently comment that the same material is repeated in several different required courses, or if they comment that they did not feel prepared by prerequisites for subsequent courses, faculty can consider these comments in conjunction with results from other assessment measures.
WSU Course Evaluation Support
Crimson Service Desk
Contact the Crimson Service Desk to get technical help or report a problem with a course evaluation in eXplorance Blue. They provide a self‑service library to provide immediate answers, both during and after business hours. If a solution can’t be found via the library, the online portal provides the option to submit a ticket for assistance and track submitted requests.
College Course Evaluation Coordinators
Instructors should contact their college coordinator with questions about how course evaluations will be delivered in their classes. At WSU, colleges determine the form for the courses they offer, the dates it is available, and other logistics.
Enterprise Systems Group
Contact ESG for all eXplorance Blue technical planning, implementation, and training, including generating reports and rollout of features.
Office of Assessment for Curricular Effectiveness
ACE is available to collaborate with undergraduate degree programs on course evaluations as an indirect measure for program assessment; see toolkit below or contact us for information.
Course Evaluation Toolkit
The resources below are intended to help departments and programs considering course evaluations for assessing student learning as part of program-level assessment. ACE is available to collaborate with undergraduate degree programs on course evaluations as an indirect measure for program assessment; contact us for additional information.
Note: First introduced in 2014, WSU uses the online system eXplorance Blue to deliver course evaluations.
Sort by Topic, Type, Author, or Title to find what you need.
| Topic | Type | Author | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | Quick Guide | ACE - WSU | Quick Guide to Course Evaluations for Program Assessment (PDF) | Resource intended to help WSU programs and faculty consider good practices for using course evaluations for assessing student learning as part of program-level assessment |
| Sample Representation | Quick Guide | ACE - WSU | Quick Guide to Sampling, Sample Sizes, and Representation (PDF) | Resource intended to help WSU programs and faculty consider good practices for considering sample sizes and strategies for program-level assessment |
| Data Stewardship | Quick Guide | ACE - WSU | Quick Guide to Assessment Data Stewardship for Academic Programs (PDF) | Resource intended to help WSU programs and faculty consider good practices for collecting, managing, and using program assessment data that align with WSU’s Executive Policy #8 |
Additional Resources and Scholarship
Articles
Benton, S. & Cashin, W. (2012). Student Ratings of Teaching: A Summary of Research and Literature (PDF). IDEA Center.
Skowronek, J., Frieson, B. & Masonjones, H. (2011). Developing a Statistically Valid and Practically Useful Student Evaluation Instrument (PDF). International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Other
University of Hawaii at Manoa Assessment and Curriculum Support Center. How To: Choose a Method to Collect Data or Evidence Website.