Why have a faculty evaluation?

Faculty evaluations are a major source of teaching feedback to instructors. Instructors use this feedback to make improvements to their teaching practice so that they can create better learning environments for students. Faculty course evaluations are your opportunity to influence teaching and learning at Carnegie Mellon. Evaluations are also reviewed by Deans and Department Heads and contribute to decisions concerning faculty promotions.

Why did we change the course evaluation form?

For many years faculty have been asking for a form that would provide them with better feedback to help them monitor and improve their teaching. The previous form was very short and very general, and did not give instructors information that could be used to improve teaching practice. In our pilot tests students believed that the new form was more relevant to their courses, addressed issues they wanted to comment on, and would give instructors better feedback on their teaching.

Does anyone really look at and think about what we write?

YES! An overwhelming majority of instructors read and seriously take to heart what students report on the evaluations. Your feedback can lead faculty to revise teaching methods, change textbooks, revise assignments and make other changes to help you learn. Department Heads and Deans also review the course evaluations and use this information as one measure of teaching that contributes to decisions concerning faculty promotions.

Why do I have to authenticate using my Andrew ID?

The system uses your Andrew ID to identify the courses you are enrolled in and to ensure that you have the opportunity to evaluate your courses. Once the evaluation closes, your Andrew ID and all personally-identifying information are discarded. No personally-identifying information appears anywhere on the evaluation.

How will my privacy be protected?

The university takes your privacy very seriously, and all reasonable precautions to protect it are being taken. View the complete privacy statement.

How will this affect my grades?

Course evaluations have no impact on your grade whatsoever. Instructors do not get to view any of the results until after final grades are submitted and they cannot associate your responses with you. Completing the evaluations are voluntary, but they are your one opportunity to have a voice and an impact on the quality of education at Carnegie Mellon. Just like you, instructors can’t learn and improve unless they get feedback about how they are teaching.

How long does it take to complete?

From a series of trial runs using this form on-line, we have found that, on average, students take about 7 - 10 minutes to complete the form. Your time may be less or more, depending on how many comments you make or how long your comments are, or how much time you take to reflect on your answers.

What if I need to stop before I have finished the evaluation for a course?

Once you start an evaluation, you can return to finish it anytime before the evaluation period closes. You will just need to log into the system and click on the course again. Any courses with incomplete evaluations will be at the top of your course listings and will have "resume FCE" next to it. Once you click the course link, you will be taken to the first page of the evaluation, and will need to click the "Next" button until you reach the page where you left off. Once you click the "Finish" button to complete an FCE, you will no longer be able to resume that FCE.

What happens to my evaluation after I submit it?

After you submit your evaluation, your responses, without any personal identifiers, will become part of the database for your class. After final grades are submitted, your instructor will be able to look at the aggregate data for each question (the distribution of responses, the mean and median), the comments, and the responses on individual forms (without any identifiers).

Can I see the ratings for my instructor and course?

YES! Soon after final grades are submitted come back to this website http://www.cmu.edu/fce. and click on the "View FCE Results" button to view the ratings for your course and instructor as well as all other courses and instructors. For this information to be useful to you as a student, it is important that a high percentage of students fill out the evaluations.

Why don't I see my course? I’ve logged in but one of my courses doesn’t show up – what do I do?

NOTE: Graduate courses in the Tepper School and the Heinz School are NOT evaluated with this system. For information on how to evaluate your graduate courses in these schools please contact the administrators for the Tepper or Heinz School.

Furthermore, there are various other reasons why your course may not be showing up as a course to be evaluated (e.g., only one student is enrolled). Please check with your instructor if you are unsure whether your course is being evaluated.

If your course IS being evaluated but it is not showing up, there could be a problem with your enrollment and you should contact us immediately.

What should I do if my machine or browser crashes while I am completing an evaluation?

When you start an evaluation, each time you hit the "Next" button, your responses for that page will be saved. You can return to finish it anytime before the evaluation period closes by logging into the system and clicking on the course again. Any courses with incomplete evaluations will be at the top of your course listings and will have "resume FCE" next to it. Once you click the course link, you will be taken to the first page of the evaluation, and will need to click the "Next" button until you reach the page where you left off.