Overview: Electronic Evaluation Process
The procedures departments follow in administering questionnaires, conducting interviews, or facilitating focus groups can affect the amount and quality of the data collected. This document focuses on suggestions for administering written evaluations, whether on paper or electronically. Departments are encouraged to consult with E&A if they choose to conduct interviews or focus groups in place of written evaluations.
The purpose of these suggestions is to ensure that students have the information they need to provide informed evaluations of the candidate’s teaching, and to maximize the number of valid questionnaires that are completed and returned.
Cover letters. Whether the evaluation data are being collected on paper or electronically, it is essential that the evaluation forms be accompanied by a cover letter (paper evaluations), or preceded by an email (Form Creator questionnaires), from the department chair. Sample cover letters for the initial distribution of both paper and electronic questionnaires, as well as reminder letters, are available on the E&A website.
Electronic forms: Initial and follow-up requests
- Establish a start date for an electronic survey of approximately 6 weeks prior to the due date for the chair’s recommendation . This allows time to resolve any system glitches in questionnaire distribution as well as time to summarize narrative results. Many users of Form Creator prepare a test copy of the questionnaire for themselves before the survey “goes live,” entering an earlier date in the start date field and listing their own email address as the survey recipient. The automated message inviting participants to complete the form, along with a link to the form itself, will then appear in the survey author’s email inbox.
- The department chair should send an electronic “cover letter” to the sampled students via email or campus mail two or three days before the start date of the Form Creator survey. The instructions box in a Form Creator survey does not provide sufficient text space for all the information students need in order to decide whether to participate in a faculty review. The email automatically generated by the Form Creator system providing the link to the questionnaire has a standardized text that is not specific to student evaluations of teaching for faculty reviews. Consequently, chairs should send a cover letter to the sampled students in advance of the start date of the Form Creator survey to explain the process and alert them to the title of the questionnaire so they recognize the message when it shows up in their inboxes.
- Aim for a return rate of at least 60% . A response rate of 60% or better minimizes the likelihood of significant differences between students who choose to participate and students who do not. This increases the representativeness of the resulting data. It may take three or more requests to approach the 60% benchmark, especially if the sample includes alumni.
- Send weekly email reminders to non-respondents. Form Creator automatically generates only one reminder, distributed on the last day the survey is open. A higher response rate is more likely if additional reminders are distributed prior to that.
