Course evaluations
Every year, evaluations are carried out for each component of a programme. This is done at several levels: (1) per course and (2) per year of a programme. The OSC checks which subjects have been taught in each block. They collect information about the teaching methods, the names of the lecturers, lecture and exam dates, etc. LLInC uses this information to prepare the course evaluations.
Course evaluation contents
The questions in the course evaluations are determined in advance. It is therefore not possible to make any changes to them.* The questions asked are as follows and are answered using a Likert scale:
- My overall assessment (grade) of this course is:
- The instructor(s) in this course provide(s) good teaching.
- The teaching methods (lectures, seminars/tutorials, practicals, etc.) are well suited to what I need to have mastered by the end of the course.
- The study materials (literature, videos, podcasts, Brightspace, etc.) are well suited to what I need to have mastered by the end of this course.
- The assessment as a whole (form and content) is well suited to what I need to master at the end of this course.
- In terms of difficulty, this course is:
- The actual study load is proportionate to the number of credits for this course (28 hours per EC, including contact hours).
- The online components of this course provide effective support for my learning process.
- This course has contributed to my knowledge, insight and skills within the field.
- The organisation of this course supported my learning process (e.g. communication, planning, accessibility of materials).
- This course ties in well with the rest of the programme.
- Instructor *name* teaches well.
- My working group instructor/tutor was:
- This working group instructor/tutor teaches well.
* The evaluation process is constantly evolving. Currently, we are running a pilot project called FET, in which instructors are allowed to choose their own questions. A limited number of FGGA courses participate in this, but there is no prospect of full implementation of this process as of yet. For questions about evaluation policy, please contact Eden Lutz at e.lutz@fgga.leidenuniv.nl.
Overview course evaluations
Evaluation process
Although you as an instructor have little to do with the evaluation process, it may be useful to know what it entails. The process is as follows:
Week 0-1: OSC collects course and instructor information.
Week 2-3: Programmes and instructors check the information and provide feedback/additions.
Week 4-5: LLInC creates evaluation forms and sends them to Wijnhaven (please note: changes to the information are no longer possible).
Week 6: OSC distributes forms to instructors.
Week 7-8: Lecturers hand out the forms during the last lecture/OSC distributes forms during examinations.
Week 9-10: LLInC processes the forms and draws up a report.
Week 11-12: OSC sends reports to instructors.
Collecting responses
There are four ways to collect responses:
Paper evaluations – distribution during a lecture/seminar
The course coordinator will receive an envelope containing the evaluations. They will distribute the evaluations during the last lecture or seminar of the course. Please note: if the forms are distributed during a seminar/tutorial taught by another lecturer/tutor, you are responsible for dividing the forms into separate envelopes and distributing them to the other lecturer(s)/tutor(s). They will then distribute them during the seminar/tutorial.
Once the evaluations have been completed, a student should collect the forms and bring them to the OSC. The student may submit the envelope with the forms to the OSC pigeonhole on the 4th floor of Wijnhaven. Lecturers are expressly not permitted to bring the completed forms to the OSC themselves, in order to preserve the anonymity of the respondents.
Paper evaluations – distribution during exams
The OSC distributes the course evaluations during the final exam. They also collect the evaluations. You do not need to do anything yourself.
Please note: You must indicate by week 6 of the block at the latest whether you wish for the evaluations to be distributed during the exam. After this, it is not logistically possible to do so.
Digital evaluations – an individual link per person via umail
Although this option is available, it is only used in exceptional cases. For example, when the lecturer has forgotten to hand out evaluations during the lecture. This method is very time-consuming and the response rate is low.
Digital evaluations – QR code during a lecture/seminar
The QR code is the fastest and most environmentally friendly way to request evaluations. You can add the QR code to a PowerPoint presentation, for example. Students can then scan the QR code and use their mobile phones to quickly and easily complete the evaluation.
It is possible to set an end time on the QR code. Additionally, the results of the evaluation are received more quickly.
Evaluation reports
The reports are confidential. They are only shared with the study coordinator, education director, programme director, tutor/working group manager and the lecturer themselves. Are you a course coordinator? That means you are responsible for sending the individual reports to the respective tutors.
What can you do to help make the evaluation process run as smoothly as possible?
- Carefully check the instructor details and the date on which the forms should be distributed in a timely manner to avoid any errors in the evaluations.
- Planning to hand out paper forms during a lecture? Set a reminder for yourself.
- Should you forget to hand out the paper forms, take them to the OSC on the fourth floor of Wijnhaven as soon as possible.
- Choose to distribute the forms via QR code!
- Inform the OSC if you do not wish to / did not evaluate your course. We would like to know this for our records.
Questions?
Do you have any questions about this process? Please reach out to osc.fgga@fgga.leidenuniv.nl.