Student Course Opinion Surveys, often called “Student Course Evaluations,” are surveys
that provide an opportunity for students to share perspectives on their experiences
related to the instructor, the content, and the materials in every course each semester.
Faculty use the feedback as part of their own course improvement processes. The data
may also be used in the faculty evaluation processes if addressed in departmentally
determined rubrics.
During Summer 2026, we piloted the Watermark Course Evaluations tool in our 5W2 session.
The pilot was the next step in a broader recommendation from the faculty sub-commitee
that began investigating alternatives to IDEA in Spring 2024. The 5W2 pilot garnered
an 86.61% response rate from students, with many faculty receiving 100% participation
from their enrolled students. During the fall 2026 Faculty Retreat, faculty asked
that we extend the pilot to all faculty during the fall 2026 semester (all sessions)
so all faculty can experience the new tool and provide feedback. We plan to launch
the full tool in spring 2027.
Standard Survey Questions
(on a Likert scale [5] of "Strongly Agree" to "Strongly Disagree")
1. The coures was well organized.
2. The course assignments (e.g., homework, quizzes, projects) supported my learning.
3. Overall, I rate this course as excellent.
4. The instructor was well prepared to teach the course material.
5. The instructor created a welcoming and respectful learning environment.
6. The instructor was available either electronically or in person to answer my questions.
7. Overall, I rate this instructor as an excellent teacher.
8. (free response) Please provide feedback in the box below on aspects of the course
and/or the instructor that were most effective and/or could be strengthened.
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Custom Faculty Questions
Faculty may add up to three custom questions to the end of the standard survey. To
do so, log in to Watermark Course Evaluations, click on the menu option for "Custom
Questions" and then "Custom Questions Projects."
Here is a help article about how to add custom questions. (you must be logged in to Watermark to access this help article)
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Encourage Student Participation
Student feedback is an important component of our continuous improvement efforts and
provides valuable insight into the student learning experience. Faculty participation
in promoting the evaluation process has consistently been one of the strongest predictors
of student response rates.
We encourage you to:
- Remind students of the date course evaluations will open.
- Set aside a few minutes during class to encourage participation.
- Explain how student feedback is used to improve courses, programs, and teaching practices.
- Reassure students that evaluations are anonymous and that individual responses cannot
be traced back to them.
- Remind students that faculty members do not have access to evaluation results until
after final grades have been submitted and the evaluation period has concluded.
Research and institutional experience consistently show that students are more likely
to complete evaluations when instructors emphasize the value of their feedback and
regularly remind them during the evaluation period.
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Check Your Response Rates
During the time that course evaluations are open to students, you may check your response
rates. Either from Canvas or from Watermark, find the Response Rate Tracker widget. |
Review Your Results
Student responses are collected anonymously, and results are not released until after
final grades had been submitted and processed.
We encourage you to review the feedback carefully and consider opportunities for reflection,
continuous improvement, and documentation of teaching effectiveness.
You may access your reports through the Watermark Course Evaluations platform using
your UHD credentials.
View Your Results in Watermark
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