Qualitative Student Course Evaluation Questions

On February 24, 2025, the Faculty Senate approved the charge for a Qualitative Course Evaluation Task Force to develop a new qualitative-only course evaluation form option and revise the qualitative questions that are common to all current evaluation forms. Task Force members were instructed to keep the following goals in mind:

• Wording should be concise. Short sentences are preferred.  
• Questions should elicit feedback on the course and the student’s learning. 

On May 19, Task Force Chair Bhaskar Ramasubramanian, summarized the Task Force’s Report and the three questions included in the recommendations:

1. What aspects of the course impacted your learning the most?
2. What changes might improve the course experience for future students?
3. Did you use any on-campus or other resources that helped you during the course? 

During Senate discussion, there was a suggestion to make question three an open-ended question (what, if any) and to replace “on-campus” with “University” in the same question. There was a suggestion to drop “experience” from question two. A comment was made that “impacted” in question one doesn’t necessarily mean positive, and it might be substituted with “benefitted." 

Senators were asked to seek constituent feedback on the proposal and provide any suggested changes to the Faculty Senate prior to a scheduled June 2 vote.  

On June 2, Senate Executive Council brought a motion to approve following three revised questions to the floor:

1. What aspects of the course benefited your learning the most?
2. What changes might improve the course for future students?
3. What, if any, University resources helped you during the course?

During discussion, concerns raised during the May 27 Senate Executive Council meeting were summarized. These included the purpose of the questions (assessing versus evaluating), the usefulness of the third question, and whether the current qualitative questions are more appropriate.

A motion by Nick Washburn (CHSS-SBS), and seconded, to strike the third question passed by a vote of 20 yes, 3 no, 3 abstain.

A motion by Jim Graham (CHSS-SBS), and seconded, to add the question “what other feedback do you have about the course?” failed by a vote of 2 yes, 22 no, 2 abstain.

A motion by John Bower (Fairhaven), and seconded, to table the motion until the last meeting of Fall Quarter failed by a vote of 12 yes, 12 no, 2 abstain. 

A motion from Senate Executive Council to end debate was approved by consent. The motion from Senate Executive Council, to adopt the questions as amended, passed by a vote of 21 yes, 3 no, 1 abstain. 

The following questions will form a new qualitative-only course evaluation form option and revise the qualitative questions that are common to all current evaluation forms:

1. What aspects of the course benefited your learning the most?
2. What changes might improve the course for future students? 

The new form will be available as an option to faculty of any college whose unit evaluation plan allows for qualitative-only course evaluations.