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Course Feedback Questionnaire

Students enrolled in Smith College courses complete the course feedback questionnaire at the end of each semester. 

In December 2015, the provost formed a committee to review the teaching evaluation, which had been in place since fall 2011. The committee’s recommendations and revised questionnaire were piloted in more than 80 classes in fall 2017 and were implemented in most classes in spring 2018 (faculty were given the option to opt out). The full implementation of the new questionnaire began in fall 2018. The new questionnaire has been designed to mitigate against bias and to elicit specific and useful information from students.

Instructors now have the option of creating two custom questions, answers to which will be shared only with instructors. Institutional Research and the Sherrerd Center for Teaching and Learning have prepared examples of custom questions from Smith College faculty members and can provide guidance on best practices. Stanford University also has an online resource on how to write questions.

The responses to question 7 are made available to the instructor only, who may choose to share the comments with future students.

The following categories of courses are not included: special studies, honors courses and Five-College courses. Small courses with five or fewer students are available for feedback, however, responses for these courses are optional and these courses are marked with the word Optional at the beginning of the course title.

Please review the Instructions for Accessing Course Feedback Reports.

Department chairs and program directors, the Committee on Tenure and Promotion, and the Office of the Provost have access to faculty members’ course feedback reports, but the information is not otherwise disseminated. These individuals will not have access to student-directed comments (question 7) or custom question responses.

For access to course evaluation reports prior to fall 2018, please contact Hayley Spizz in the Office of the Provost (hspizz@91ciba.com).

Course Feedback Timeline

The course feedback questionnaire is available to students online at the end of the semester. Faculty have the opportunity to submit custom questions in advance. Faculty gain access to reports following the deadline for submission of grades.

Timeline for Fall 2024

Date(s)

Description

November 26–December 2, 2024

Faculty may submit custom questions (using a direct link sent via email).

December 4, 2024

Students receive email with direct link to complete course feedback questionnaires.

January 5, 2025

Access to course feedback questionnaire closes for students.

January 8, 2025

Faculty gain access to course feedback reports (using a direct link sent via email or the Smith Portal). (Note: Access is blocked for those faculty who have not submitted all grades. Once the grades have been submitted, the block will be removed as soon as possible.)

Resources

Vanderbilt University offers guidelines for interpreting student feedback. Faculty may also contact the Sherrerd teaching mentors or the Sherrerd Center for Teaching & Learning.

Contact Provost/Dean of the Faculty

College Hall

Smith College

Northampton, MA 01063

 

Phone: 413-585-3005

For additional questions, please contact Hayley Spizz.

For technical issues, please contact the User Support Center (x4487).

For student information about this process, please contact the Dean of the College (x4900).