TABLE OF CONTENTS

Getting Response Rates to your Course Evaluations 


Tip  1: Talk to your class about evaluations and how you use them.


If your meet with your students live, it would be very helpful if you set aside five minutes at the beginning of class to speak with students about the evaluation process. If your class is asynchronous, consider sending a Moodle announcement encouraging students to share feedback.
Mentioning the following items will greatly increase your chances of success:

  • Tell students that the evaluation period has begun.
  • Tell students that they will receive emails which will allow them to complete the surveys.
  • Log into MyEvalCenter and click the "QR codes" link for your class(es).  Print the page that is then displayed and distribute it to your students.  Using their mobile devices, they can scan the code and complete the evaluation right in class!
  • Give students a few specific examples of how you used feedback from past course evaluations. Example: "Last semester the evaluations said I should make better use of the course website, and that is why this year I have been posting more announcement notes on Moodle."
  • Tell students that their responses are completely anonymous, and that teachers will only see evaluation results after grades are released (for end of course evaluations only). You will see early course evaluation results during the class, but responses are still anonymously.  

Going over this information at the start your evaluation period will set the stage for a strong response rate in your class and for Davidson-Davie Community College as a whole.


Tip 2: Send a personalized email about evaluations. 


As an instructor you can email your students from the SmartEvals system! The email will be sent only to students in your classes who have not yet completed their evaluations. The emails will be anonymous, so you will not know who they are being sent to. This provides an excellent way for students to understand how important it is to complete their evaluations.

Sending and editing emails to your students is quick and easy through SmartEvals!

  • On your myEvalCenter page select Email Students from the menu. 
  • Select if you want to send out an email to just one class, all your classes or automatically send out emails every semester
  • Edit the email templates we have available for you by updating the email in the text field
  • Click Send the Email and your email will be sent out to the students who have yet to complete their evaluation.


Tip 3: Use the QR Code


Log into MyEvalCenter and click the "Get QR codes" link for your class(es).  Print the page that is then displayed and/or distribute it to your students.  Using their mobile devices, they can scan the code and complete the evaluation right in class!


Tip 4: Offer Incentives


Have you thought about offering incentives?  Some faculty do not like reminding students because they feel like they are nagging their students. Group incentives are a great alternative. This allows the students to push their classmates to complete their evaluations.  You may use something similar to the following:

'If this class gets an 80% response rate by the end of the evaluation, I will allow one 3x5 index card of notes to be used during your final.'  

'If this class gets a 70% I will remove the lowest quiz grade.'

You can keep the students aware of their progress by just writing the response rates on the board at the beginning of each class. This takes a lot of the pressure off of you reminding them.  

Log into MyEvalCenter and click the "Get QR codes" link for your class(es).  Print the page that is then displayed and distribute it to your students.  Using their mobile devices, they can scan the code and complete the evaluation right in class! 


Tip 5: Set aside class time for completing evaluations.


Consider giving your students time at the beginning or end of class to complete their course evaluations. At minimum, this should garner an equivalent response rate to what was received in the paper format. Evaluations are quick and easy and since they are electronic, can be completed using any smart phone, tablet, or computer/laptop.


Some teachers choose to take their students to a computer lab on campus to complete evaluations online. Dr. Cynthia Chappell from the University of Texas at Houston School of Public Health does this. She has found it to work well, as she achieved an 83% response rate following this strategy.


Tip 6: Share the value and impact of feedback.


To increase your response rates try this talking to students explaining the value and purpose of course evaluations.

  1. Explain how Davidson-Davie Community College uses student feedback to develop and expand future program and course offerings.
  2. Let students know you are interested in their point of view and use student feedback to make changes in the course.
  3. Share some interesting results or give some examples of useful feedback you have received in the past, and how the course/pedagogy has benefited in response. For example:
  • “I’ve improved my course by adding more review time for exams.”
  • “I’ve shortened some readings based on comments.”


Tip 7: Show them how to access and complete evaluations.


It may also be helpful to show students how to find and use the Course Evaluations may increase response rates. While there are instructions to finding and completing the course evaluations in the system emails they receive, do not assume all students can navigate this easily. A quick, visual tutorial in-class can make a difference!

Students can access their course evaluation now using the link found in the email they receive or by clicking the Course Evaluation link on in their Moodle course.