Say goodbye to scantrons--at least when it comes to course evaluations.
"For the last few years, Auburn has been using a paper-based course evaluation tool that came from an outside provider," said Associate Provost Emmett Winn.
The University senate asked the Teaching Effectiveness Committee to conduct research and recommend another system.
"The Teaching Effectiveness Committee recommended an online system called CoursEval," Winn said. "The positive aspects of this new system are that it is less expensive, much less labor-intensive and it offers a great deal of flexibility."
CoursEval uses web-based software that allows students to anonymously evaluate their courses online. Students will be able to access and submit evaluations at their leisure during a certain time period at the end of the semester.
"Evaluations will be available online for students to take from Nov. 28 through Dec. 2," said Jessica Epperson, junior in biomedical sciences and SGA representative for the CoursEval implementation committee. "It's convenient, quick and easy for students."
With the prior system, another university sent the evaluation scantrons to Auburn to be distributed to classes close to the end of the semester. The completed evaluations were then processed for a charge per scantron, and the graded scantrons were returned to Auburn for review.
"This system was very expensive and required a tremendous amount of labor," Winn said.
While the new system allows for speedy results, instructors are still disallowed from viewing evaluations until final grades have been submitted.
The main concern regarding CoursEval is the issue of student response.
"It's so important to evaluate because you need some basis to determine how effective a classroom has been over the semester," Epperson said. "It's an honor to have the right to voice your opinion about your class. It takes only a minute to complete, so there's no reason that you shouldn't."
The implementation committee decided to attach incentives to the evaluations to motivate students to complete them.
The system will function like a raffle, and students' names will be entered into prize drawings when evaluations are submitted.
"The primary concern with the new system is a low response rate," Winn said. "To combat this we are going to offer incentives recommended by the SGA Academic Affairs Committee. Students who submit an evaluation would be eligible to win the prizes."
Some of the prizes include spirit points, discounts at the AU Bookstore, iTunes gift cards and even iPads for top winners.
"We're still in the planning stage, but we're hoping to have a good participation," said Azeem Ahmed, junior in pre-business and student member of the implementation committee. "The majority of universities that adopt electronic evaluation systems see a drop in student responses, but we're hoping that won't happen too drastically. That's what the incentive package is for--it gives students a tangible reward for participating in the new program."
Ahmed said he feels the system will reward students in greater ways.
"The new system will benefit students by making sure that their voices get heard," Ahmed said. "It makes it a whole lot easier for students to voice their opinions and concerns about their academic experience at Auburn."
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