The now-defunct course evaluation system cost UB over $50,000 – money that did little to encourage students to fill out the surveys, and failed to provide a university-wide method for course feedback.
Now, with a new assessment program in place, UB is still shelling out $49,754, but for a system that shows much more promise.
In contrast to the earlier system, which included six separate evaluations for different schools and programs, the new and improved evaluations are uniform, and will be used university-wide.
Even more importantly, the upgraded evaluations can now be tailored to each course, allowing professors to get more specific feedback.
That this change was not implemented earlier is surprising.
UB offers a vast array of courses, which range enormously in terms of subject matter and teaching style. A 300-student lecture on introductory biology should merit different questions than an English seminar with nine students – that’s just common sense.
This update to evaluations was sorely needed. Fortunately, the administration took note of the needed changes and has brought in a new system that directly addresses the problems that made the previous program, by and large, ineffective.
Students deserve to have their voices heard – when they have negative experiences in a class, their professor should hear their unhappiness. Offering critiques not only benefits the student, but gives their professor the opportunity to improve their instruction.
In previous years, students were not only given non-specific questions, but their feedback often went unheard before the next semester. Processing feedback sometimes took so long that professors returned to teaching without hearing suggestions from past students.
More efficient processing will help make evaluations have a greater impact, and students should feel reassured that their voice is more likely to be heard.
Now, it’s all up to the student body.
The success of these new evaluations rides entirely on students’ willingness to participate.
Students have long been apathetic about course evaluations. Their attitude is understandable – why slog through a tedious, irrelevant questionnaire that may never be seen?
But now, the new system is less time-consuming and easier to navigate. Logistically, students will have an improved experience – if they take the time to try it out.
The pilot program for the new system made it clear that even with the improved setup, students need to participate more. In the School of Nursing, which tried out the system this summer, saw a response rate of 40-45 percent, up from 30-35 percent in previous years.
That’s an improvement, but still a markedly low response rate for a program that looks to be effective and efficient.
UB put in the effort to correct their mistakes. Now it’s time for students to step up and do their part – for their own sake, and for those following behind them.
email: editorial@ubspectrum.com
