Course Evals Are In! Navigating the Numbers and Planning for What's Next
That time of semester has rolled around – course evaluations are out! I don’t know about you, but even after years of teaching, I still get a little nervous opening that feedback, especially this past semester. I took some big risks: a very untraditional ungrading structure for my general education writing class (mostly engineering and computer science students, mind you!), tons of brand-new projects, and new rubrics I built with a lot of help from our Teacher’s PET app. Plus, I used my own self-authored OER textbook for the first time. Lots of new things!
Watch my video breakdown on YouTube.
Overall, I felt the semester went well, but you never really know until you hear from the students, right?
First off, I was thrilled to see my response rates hit around 62% across my sections, even peaking at 78% in one! I dangled a little extra credit if the class collectively hit a 75% response rate, and it really encouraged participation. This higher rate means the data feels much more representative.
So, how did it all shake out? My instructor scores were fantastic – a 6.32 out of 7, putting me way above my department, college, and university averages! Students really responded to how I brought real-life examples into class and connected concepts to their experiences. That authenticity and genuine interest in their learning definitely shone through in the comments.
My course scores were a respectable 5.97, higher than the university average, though a little shy of my personal goal of a 6. Given the experimental nature of the course, especially for students used to very structured math and science classes, I’m pretty happy with that!
The "materials were useful" and "course organization" scores were interesting. While the average was pulled down by a few very low marks, over 70% of students agreed or strongly agreed these aspects were good, and the qualitative comments about my OER textbook and weekly layout were overwhelmingly positive. It’s a good reminder that averages don’t tell the whole story, and clear, engaging materials make a difference.
One of my highest course-related scores was for assignments being clearly related to learning outcomes. That’s a direct result of starting my design process with those outcomes first – a strategy I highly recommend and one that our Teacher's PET resources can really support.
This whole experience has me buzzing with ideas for the fall. And speaking of which, I’m so excited to announce a new video series starting this June! I’ll be doing a deep dive "Gen Ed Course Tour," breaking down my entire ungrading system, weekly structure, how I set up reading and project groups, the workflow, and, importantly, the tools I used. We’ll look at how all of this led to these course eval outcomes and how I’m using that data to rebuild and refine for next semester.
If you’re looking to streamline your course design, create effective rubrics, or build out your own engaging OER, I hope you’ll find inspiration and practical tools in our shop. Let’s make our teaching lives a little easier and our courses even more impactful!
What were your big takeaways from your course evals this semester?