PERTINENT LINKS
Click here for pertinent links to instructional guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
SECTION LINKS:
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FOR STUDENTS
How do I complete my course evaluations?
1. Log in to SAGE
2. On the “Student Services” page, click on the link to “Academics”
3. Click on the link to “Course Evaluations” (this is under the heading “Enrollment”)
A list of courses in which you are enrolled will be displayed. Please complete an evaluation for each instructor listed. For some courses, you may also see a list of teaching assistants. Please choose any teaching assistants whom you are able to evaluate and complete evaluation forms for them.
Why should I complete my course evaluations?
Course evaluations are used in many ways:
• By professors, to improve their teaching
• By students, in selecting courses
• By deans and department chairs, in evaluating faculty
• By award committees, in selecting teaching award winners
• By departments and committees, in evaluating candidates for tenure and promotion
• By graduate students, to assemble teaching portfolios
For each of these purposes, the response rate is crucial. The ratings and comments can be regarded as a reliable measure of teaching effectiveness, only if the responses are representative of the entire class.
Will I be reminded to complete my course evaluations?
Yes, multiple times. An e-mail will be sent to all students announcing the start of the evaluation period. The e-mail will include instructions for completing the evaluations, along with a link. E-mail reminders will be sent every few days during the evaluation period to students who have not yet completed their evaluations.
When are course evaluations completed?
Evaluation periods will begin three weeks prior to the first day of exams, except in semesters where students are on break during this three week period (in which case, the start date for evaluation period will be adjusted to maximize student opportunity to complete evaluations while on campus).This period is designed to give students sufficient time to complete the evaluations, while ensuring that students do not see their final grades before evaluating their courses. No grades will be posted by the Registrar's Office until the close of the evaluation period.
What is the course evaluation scheduling policy?
The goal of the course evaluation scheduling policy is to maximize student opportunity to participate in the course evaluation process and provide LTS with an opportunity to trouble-shoot the system by providing a consistent, three-week period each semester during which students can complete course evaluations.
Are evaluations confidential and anonymous?
Yes, evaluations are confidential and anonymous. We recognize that this is a primary concern when completing course evaluations online. Please be assured that the online evaluation system keeps a record of who has submitted an evaluation in order to ensure that no student can submit more than one evaluation in any course; but it disassociates the student’s name from the evaluation that he or she submitted. Thus, we know whether or not you have submitted an evaluation, but have no record attaching your identity to any one evaluation. Because evaluations are completed online, there’s no need to worry about a professor recognizing your handwriting.
What if I make a mistake? Can I change my evaluation once I have submitted it?
No, evaluations cannot be changed once they are submitted. This is because, as described above, students’ identities are immediately disassociated from the submitted evaluation. Please be careful when filling out evaluations and do no open multiple evaluations in different browser tabs or windows.
What if I need assistance?
For additional assistance, please e-mail: evaluate@brandeis.edu.
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What courses are evaluated?
All courses that have regular class meetings are eligible to be evaluated. Undergraduate courses can be excluded from the evaluation list only with the approval of the Dean of Arts and Sciences. The graduate schools set their own policies on evaluation of graduate courses, i.e., courses numbered 200 or higher.
What evaluation form is used?
The university has a standard evaluation form that is used in all courses. (Separate evaluation forms are used for teaching fellows and physical education classes.) Currently, no questions can be added to or removed from the evaluation forms. Please click here to view a copy of our course evaluation forms for Instructors, Teaching Assistants, or Physical Education classes.
When are course evaluations completed?
Evaluation periods will begin three weeks prior to the first day of exams, except in semesters where students are on break during this three week period (in which case, the start date for evaluation period will be adjusted to maximize student opportunity to complete evaluations while on campus).This period is designed to give students sufficient time to complete the evaluations, while ensuring that students do not see their final grades before evaluating their courses. No grades will be posted by the Registrar's Office until the close of the evaluation period.
What is the course evaluation scheduling policy?
The goal of the course evaluation scheduling policy is to maximize student opportunity to participate in the course evaluation process and provide LTS with an opportunity to trouble-shoot the system by providing a consistent, three-week period each semester during which students can complete course evaluations.
When are evaluation results available?
Results are available within four weeks of the close of the evaluation period. Access to results will be blocked, however, for faculty who have not yet turned in their grades.
How are evaluation results accessed?
Evaluation results are accessed online, through Sage. Faculty will receive an e-mail with the overall completion rate for the previous semester, instructions on how to access the results, and a link to follow to access them.
Didn’t we have a 100% response rate with the paper system?
No, we did not. We had a response rate that was just over 80%. Our overall response rate as of Fall 2008 was 70%. We understand from other institutions that have transitioned to an online system that they, too, experienced an initial decline in response rates. We are taking a variety of steps to increase our response rate and are working with a number of groups across campus to enhance awareness of the importance of course evaluations.
How will the success of online course evaluations be determined?
The Course Evaluation Committee has worked to identify strengths and weaknesses of the online process. Institutional Research has compared the results of the paper and pencil method versus the online method to determine if there are any systematic differences. Based on initial analysis of a subset of courses, differences that are statistically significant appear to be minimal.
What if I need assistance?
For additional assistance, please e-mail: evaluate@brandeis.edu.
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FOR STAFF
How do I enter teaching assistants in Sage?
Click here for pertinent links to instructional guides.
How do I verify courses for instructor evaluation?
Click here for pertinent links to instructional guides.
How can I see the different course evaluation forms that are available?
Please click here to view a copy of our course evaluation forms for Instructors, Teaching Assistants, or Physical Education classes.
Can I access my academic unit’s response rate during the course evaluation period?
Yes, throughout this period, academic administrators (and chairs) will be able to see the response rates within their academic unit. To access this information, log in to Sage and follow this path: Manage Online Evaluations>Online Evaluations>Setup>Instructor Evaluations. Then enter the term. You will see the list of courses for your academic unit, with information on the number and percentage of responses in the final columns.
What if I need assistance?
For additional assistance, please e-mail: evaluate@brandeis.edu.