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UNC Charlotte Academic Policy and Procedure: Student Evaluations

I. Executive Summary

This procedure offers a guideline for faculty members to distribute teaching evaluations in a consistent manner.  It was developed after researching the methods by which student evaluation forms are distributed by each college, concluding that significant differences exist among several colleges.  The FAPSC recommends following this procedure in order to maintain a consistent process that supports academic integrity.

II. Policy and Procedure Statement

  1. Teaching evaluations are to be distributed via an email invitation within two weeks prior to the end of the semester.
     
  2. Each College or Department will a) write a set of instructions for filling out the electronic evaluation forms that is communicated to the students prior to their completing the forms, and b) write a brief statement to be communicated to the students explaining the importance of the evaluations.
     
  3. Students may complete the electronic evaluation forms outside of class or during class forms.  Under no circumstances, however, will the faculty member him or herself be present while students are filling out the forms.
     
  4. A faculty member may not have access to the results of their course evaluations until after final grades have been submitted.

We recommend that the following two items be used as the standard questions in student evaluations of faculty across colleges.

Overall, this instructor was effective:

a.  Strongly agree
b.  Agree
c.  Neutral
d.  Disagree
e.  Strongly disagree

Overall, I learned a lot in this course:

a.  Strongly agree
b.  Agree
c.  Neutral
d.  Disagree
e.  Strongly disagree

Student evaluations are important because they provide a way of collecting student perceptions about courses and successful teaching practices.  The recommended items draw the students’ attention to how much they are learning in a course and to whether or not the instructor was effective.  This is the kind of information that only the student can provide and that is useful feedback for the instructor.

III. Definitions

  • College – An academic unit of the University.  Each of the seven discipline-based colleges at UNC Charlotte represents an organization of related departments. 
  • Department – A unit within a college representing a discipline.  For example, the Department of English is in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences (CHESS). 
  • Faculty - All persons who hold Professorial Rank (Professor, Associate Professor, and Assistant Professor) or a Special Faculty Appointment (Visiting Professor, Adjunct Professor, Instructor, Assistant Professor (Library), Assistant Professor (Military), Lecturer, Assistant Research Professor, or Artist-in-Residence).
  • Semester or Term – A period of study of approximately 16 weeks, usually a third of the academic year (i.e., Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters).  The Fall semester begins in August, the Spring semester in January, and the Summer semester in May at UNC Charlotte.  The Summer semester generally includes one eleven-week and two five-week half terms.

IV. Policy and Procedure Contact(s)

V. History

  • Approved: April 27, 2000
  • Revised: April 19, 2001
  • Revised: April 24, 2014 [changed necessary wording from paper forms to electronic forms format; added "after final grades" clause for faculty viewing of their evaluations]

VI. Related Policies, Procedures and Resources

VII. Frequently Asked Questions

  • Where is this policy and procedure referenced?
    The policy and procedure is published on the Academic Policies & Procedures webpage of the Provost website.
     
  • Which students are covered under this policy? 
    This policy applies to all undergraduate and graduate students at UNC Charlotte.
     

  • See additional Frequently Asked Questions at My Course Evals FAQs