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CHAPTER TWO: 2700
STUDENT AFFAIRS POLICIES
July 2008
2700
STUDENT EVALUATION OF TEACHING
PREAMBLE: This section discusses the purposes of student evaluation of
teaching and the procedures by which that evaluation is carried out. It first
appeared in the 1979 Handbook and was amended in July, 1992, to reflect the
removal of student evaluations to the Office of Academic Affairs. Following a
period of testing in 2001, a paperless web-based evaluation system was given
formal approval in 2002. This made the original Handbook section obsolete, and
thus it was completely revised.
In 2008, the
evaluative period having passed and the recommended review by the Teaching and
Advising Committee of the web-based system complete, revisions to this policy
were approved by the general faculty on April 28, 2008. For further
information, contact the Provost’s Office (208-885-6448). [rev. 7-01, 7-02]
CONTENTS:
A. Purpose
B. Policies and Procedures
A.
PURPOSE. Student evaluation of teaching has two purposes. First, student
evaluations assist individual instructors in improving their own teaching
("instructor," as used in this section, refers to any teaching member of the
faculty or staff). Second, they assist academic administrators in counseling
instructors about their teaching and they are carefully weighed as a factor in
judging the teaching component in tenure, promotion, and salary determinations.
To achieve the first of these purposes instructors are urged to provide their
students mechanisms for evaluation throughout the academic term. To assist academic
administrators in evaluation, the following policy and procedures have been
adopted. [rev. 7-08]
B.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
B-1. All students will have the opportunity to
evaluate each of their instructors in all sections of all courses during every
academic term. [rev. 7-08]
B-2. The standard university form, as approved by the faculty, will be
used by all instructors in all of their classes, except in the College of Law
which will use an evaluative device which it has tailored to its needs.
B-3. The Office of Academic Affairs has the responsibility of oversight
in the administration of the evaluations, except those in the College of Law.
B-4. The
evaluation shall take place during the last three weeks of the academic term
(excluding final exam week) or the proportion thereof for courses of less than a
semester duration. [rev. 7-08]
B-5.
Instructors will be able to view the student responses for their courses after final grades have
been submitted.
B-6. A system for mid-term formative evaluation of instruction will be
available to encourage student input for faculty seeking to improve teaching.
The electronic data generated through the formative evaluation process shall be
for evaluative use by the faculty member. The data are not considered part
of the faculty member's record, and are not to be used in an evaluation of the
faculty member by another, unless included in the record at the discretion of
the faculty member. [add. 7-08]
B-7.
The Office of Academic Affairs shall see that a database of evaluation results
for at least the last five academic years is maintained. These results shall be
made available to colleges and academic units as needed, and the numerical
summaries of an instructor’s evaluations shall be made available to students or
other members of the university community upon request. [ren. 7-08]
B-8. The Office of Academic Affairs, in conjunction with the Teaching and
Advising Committee, will review the student evaluation of teaching forms and
processes periodically, at least every five years. [add. 7-08]
Evaluation Form (Word)
Evaluation Form
(pdf)
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