Institutional Evaluation

Q: Why am I being asked to evaluate my professor before the end of the semester?
The faculty decided to pilot a new schedule for obtaining student feedback that separates the process from final exams. This schedule will be evaluated at a later date using feedback from both the student population and faculty members.

Q; Are the surveys anonymous?
Yes, survey responses are anonymous. Professors and deans will not see any responses until after grades are submitted. Even then, no student names are associated with comments. Students may choose to "send proof" (see the information in this  handout), but even then, the actual survey responses are not sent to professors or deans.

Q: Why can't I log in?

There are two possible reasons why you are having trouble logging in to the system.

1. We have found that for some students, the last time they changed their Atlas passwords, they did not correctly sync across all of Valencia’s systems. The only way to force a reset is to change your Atlas password again. We understand that this can be an inconvenience, and apologize for that. If you remember your previous Atlas password, you might be successful using that to log in.
2. If you are receiving a "Not a valid CoursEval user" error, then you have not been added to the CoursEval system. New users are added at different times during the semester just before surveys launch. Please refer to our calendar for survey availablility dates. You will receive an email notification when your available surveys are open and will have access at that time.

Q: Oops! I filled out the survey wrong—can you reset it for me? I can't see my completed surveys? 

Students can edit their survey responses until the surveys close. To edit your responses, click on SURVEYS toward the upper left corner of the homepage and choose COMPLETED SURVEYS. All of your completed surveys will be displayed. You can bring the most recent completion to the top of the list by selecting the downward arrow to the right of Date/Time Completed. Select Edit Survey Answers in the Date Closed column to edit your responses.

Q: Is there a unique URL (hyperlink) for my class that I can send to my students?
CoursEval is a portal system, much like Atlas, which students and faculty must log in to; therefore, we cannot generate unique URLs for each course. The URL for the portal is http://tiny.cc/CoursEval_Student and users should log in with their regular Valencia credentials.

Additional questions?
Please contact the Office of Institutional Evaluation at participate@valenciacollege.edu.

Q: This list of courses/students doesn’t look right: Something is missing or something is showing that shouldn’t be.
Your roster of students taking the SFI should reflect everyone who was enrolled (those who stayed in your class and those who withdrew). The decision to make the survey available to students who withdrew was a faculty-made decision. If any courses are missing, or students appear to be incorrect or omitted from the list and they are currently enrolled, please contact our office for assistance. Please contact Deidre Holmes DuBois at dholmesdubois@valenciacollege.edu with questions related to the decisions made by the faculty. Please see her related governance update from Fall 2013 here: http://tiny.cc/DHolmesDuboisArticle

Q: What should I do if I cannot see the correct survey results using the reporting tools?
First check your filters to ensure they are not preventing you from seeing the data you need.  The filters can be found beneath the menu:

If after clearing all of your filters you are still not seeing the courses you need, please contact Institutional Evaluation at participate@valenciacollege.edu.

Q: I didn’t take a survey, and the deadline has passed. Can you re-open it for me?
Unfortunately, once a survey is closed, we are unable to re-open it. The faculty and deans value your feedback and hope you will be able to participate in future semesters.

Q: How do I send proof that I completed the survey to my professor?

• To send proof of completion to your instructor, follow these steps:

  1. Log into CoursEval: http://tiny.cc/CoursEval_Student

  2. Select the Surveys link toward the top left corner of the homepage and then choose Completed Surveys.

  *Note: If you are on the mobile site, please click on the Full Site link to be able to access your Completed Surveys.

  3. On the Completed Surveys page, make sure the most recent surveys appear by clicking on the downward arrow to the right of Date/Time Completed.

  4. In the Date/Time Completed column, click on the Send Proof link for your completed survey. An email will be sent to your professor letting them know that you have completed the course survey.

Q: When I click the “send proof” link, what does my professor see?
The send proof option sends an email to the instructor informing them that you have successfully submitted your survey. This is what the message will say and it does not include your survey responses:

The participant shown below has recently completed an assigned evaluation.

Participant............: Your Name
Date/Time Submitted....: The date and time submitted

Survey.................: Survey Name
Course Number..........: Course Number
Course Name............: Course Name
Course Section.........: Course Section

Q: Why are students being surveyed before the end of the term or why are the surveys being administered earlier than before?
The decision to open the surveys before the end of term and at various time periods during the semester was made by faculty, who are piloting these changes as a result of research showing it is best to separate these surveys from final exams. This schedule will be evaluated at a later date using feedback from both the students and faculty. A copy of the SFI administration dates can be found here: https://valenciacollege.edu/academics/analytics-and-planning/institutional-evaluation/surveys/calendar.php

Q: Can students access the SFI through the tab/link in our class CANVAS site too?
The survey software (CoursEval) does not currently allow for a single sign on with CANVAS. The company has been working on this issue, and we hope to have that feature available soon. In the meantime, students can access the survey portal by clicking the link embedded in all of our e-mail correspondence. Additionally, the "Student Feedback on Instruction (SFI) - CoursEval" link within CANVAS will direct students to the CoursEval portal.

Q: Why aren’t all of the classes I’m teaching appearing on the list of courses to take the SFI?
The faculty decided to try a new schedule for administering the SFI to students.  This schedule will be reviewed at a later date and will include feedback from both the student population and faculty members.  SFI schedule of administration dates can be found at: https://valenciacollege.edu/academics/analytics-and-planning/institutional-evaluation/surveys/calendar.php

Q: Can I add my own questions to the surveys for my class?
Faculty cannot add questions to their own individual surveys in CoursEval. However, faculty members are able to use the Qualtrics online survey tool, which allows them to create and administer customized surveys to Valencia College students.