NUMBER:   ACAF 1.04

SECTION:  Academic Affairs    



SUBJECT:  Student Evaluation of Courses                           

 

DATE:		February 1, 1995



LATEST REVISION:     April 24, 2002

                     

Policy for:     All Campuses

Procedure for:  All Campuses

Authorized by:  Jerome D. Odom

Issued by:      Office of the Provost



________________________________________________________________





I.  Policy



    Each campus shall have a comprehensive system of written student

    course evaluation for every course taught by the instructors on

    that campus, regardless of academic rank or tenure status of the

    instructor.  



    A. The only exception to this policy is to allow the exclusion

       of courses for which there are fewer than five students enrolled,

       at the discretion of the unit administrator.



II.  Procedure



    A. Each campus, or college or department within a campus, can

       use its own standardized evaluation form, but such form must

       include the questions mandated by the Provost and the S.C.

       Commission on Higher Education.  Starting on August 15, 1997, 

       all student evaluations given in the University must begin 

       with the following mandated questions which relate to the basic

       responsibilities of every teaching faculty member in the

       University of South Carolina System:



       1) The instructor clearly stated the instructional        

          objectives of the course:

       2) The instructor clearly stated the method by which your

          final grade would be determined:

       3) The instructor clearly explained any special requirements

          of attendance which differ from the attendance policy

          of the University:

       4) The instructor graded and returned the student's written

          work (e.g., examinations and papers) in a timely

          manner:

       5) The instructor met the class regularly and at the

          scheduled times:

       6) The instructor scheduled a reasonable number of office

          hours per week: 



       7)  Please indicate your satisfaction with the availability of 

	   the instructor outside the classroom by choosing one 

           response from the scale below. (In selecting your rating, 

           consider the instructor's availability via established 

           office hours, appointments, and other opportunities for 

           face-to-face interaction as well as via telephone, e-mail, 

           fax and other means).



           1) Very Dissatisfied   

           2) Dissatisfied   

           3) Satisfied   

           4) Very Satisfied



	8) If web sites, Blackboard, or other Internet resources were

	   a part of this course, to what extent did they enhance or 

	   detract from your learning experience in course? 

	(Greatly enhanced    Somewhat enhanced   Neither enhanced nor detracted 

	    Detracted   Greatly detracted)



	If this was a distance education course, please answer the following questions:



	9) How satisfied were you with the opportunities to interact 

	   with other students in the class?

	(Choose from a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 = "Very Dissatisfied" and 5 = "Very Satisfied")



	10) How satisfied were you with the opportunities to interact 

	    with the professor in this course?

	(Choose from a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 = "Very Dissatisfied" and 5 = "Very Satisfied")



	11) How satisfied were you with the promptness of the feedback 

	    that you received in this course?

	(Choose from a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 = "Very Dissatisfied" and 5 = "Very Satisfied") 



	12) How satisfied were you with the technology support required 

	    in this course.

	(Choose from a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 = "Very Dissatisfied" and 5 = "Very Satisfied")



	13) How satisfied were you with the opportunities to access library 

	    resources and library support services for this course. 

	(Choose from a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 = "Very Dissatisfied" and 5 = "Very Satisfied")



        The format of the responses to these questions may be in keeping with the 

        unit-designed format of the rest of the unit's evaluation instrument, 

        e.g. 2-answer (yes/no), 5-answer (Strongly Agree/Agree/Average/Disagree/Strongly Disagree), 

        or whatever the local unit feels appropriate.



	Units may choose to exclude questions 9-13 above only if the course

	is not taught via distance education.



  

    B.  Results of each course evaluation will be shared with the

        instructor, but only after the final grades for the evaluated

        course have been submitted to the Registrar.  The administrative

        head of each unit shall also retain a copy of the results of each

        course evaluation.



	Each academic department will forward a mathematical summary of the 

	responses on Items 7 through 13 to the Office of Institutional 

	Planning and Assessment for purposes of meeting external reporting 

	requirements and for sharing with appropriate University committees.





III.  Reason for Latest Revision



Policy change mandates that certain specific questions are to be

used on student course evaluations in response to the Recommendations 

of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)Visiting 

Committee, April 2001.

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