IDEA Course Evaluations administered online through Campus Labs
The Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA) system provides a formal method for gathering student feedback and translating it into actionable steps to improve student learning. All faculty at Saint Francis University are asked to use the IDEA student ratings system in their classes as follows:
- Tenured faculty: at least one class each academic year
- Non-tenured faculty: at least one class each semester
- Online courses, adjuncts, first-year faculty, visiting faculty, and all others: all classes each semester
Steps to Administering the IDEA Student Ratings of Instructions through Campus Labs
STEP 1. Login to your Campus Labs dashboard at https://saintfrancis.campuslabs.com/faculty/ using your SFU username and password. This link has also been added to my.francis under the Faculty/Staff tab. Unless you are adding custom questions, you may complete the objectives up until the administration close date.
STEP 2. Select the current term and then the link for the course in which you will administer IDEA. Please make sure that all of your courses you wish to survey are listed. Cross-listed courses should also be indicated. If any courses are missing or are not correctly crossed, please contact [email protected].
STEP 3. Select your Learning Objectives. IDEA provides a selection of 13 general learning objectives. Think of these as overarching goals or outcomes for your course rather than specific lesson objectives. Mark only 3-5 total as ESSENTIAL and IMPORTANT. Leave the rest as minor. The appropriate selection of Learning Objectives is an essential part of the IDEA Student Ratings of Instructional System. For help with this process, see the three resources below.
*** IDEA Resource - video overview on how to select Objectives to provide feedback relevant to the course.
*** IDEA Resource - article on how to choose objectives
Ask these questions when selecting objectives:
STEP 4: (Optional) Add custom questions. If you would like to gather feedback on a specific element of your course (ex: a project, a new resource, a guest lecturer, a new teaching approach, etc), you may add your own Likert-style or Open-Ended questions to the IDEA. This must be done before the IDEA opens to students. Note: All fully online courses will automatically include a set of 10 custom questions (see below) developed in accordance with the Distance Education Policy Manual.
Additional Questions for Online Courses
Scaled: Strongly Disagree - Disagree - Neither Agree nor Disagree - Agree - Strongly Agree
1.I was adequately informed about and prepared for the demands of this course.
2.The page layout and navigation for the course was easy to follow.
3.Course goals and objectives were clearly communicated
4.Materials and resources used were well-selected and relevant to the course
5.Instructions for activities and assignments were thorough and clear.
6.The instructor's presence and involvement in the course contributed to my learning.
7.I was able to get technology support when needed.
8.Expectations for student behavior with respect to academic honesty were clearly communicated.
Open Ended
9.What aspect of the course contributed most to your learning?
10.What suggestions would you offer for improvement of this course?
*** Campus Labs resource - Adding Custom Questions
STEP 5: Provide instructions for students and encourage them to complete the course IDEA. The more feedback you can gather, the more valid and useful it will be. Encourage students to provide feedback by posting an Announcement and providing direct access from your Canvas course to this address: https://saintfrancis.campuslabs.com/courseeval. This helps to ensure a high response rate. It is also best practice to talk to students about the IDEA process, to encourage honest and constructive feedback, and to discuss how the data is used to improve teaching practice.
*** Campus Labs Resource - View The Student Experience to get an overview of what the system looks like to students.
STEP 6: Review your IDEA Summary Reports. Once the administration period is over, you can view the feedback by logging into your faculty dashboard and selecting the Report tab at the top of the page. Select the semester you wish to review, then select the course you are interested in.
*** Campus Labs Resource - interpreting Summative and Formative Reports.
STEP 2. Select the current term and then the link for the course in which you will administer IDEA. Please make sure that all of your courses you wish to survey are listed. Cross-listed courses should also be indicated. If any courses are missing or are not correctly crossed, please contact [email protected].
STEP 3. Select your Learning Objectives. IDEA provides a selection of 13 general learning objectives. Think of these as overarching goals or outcomes for your course rather than specific lesson objectives. Mark only 3-5 total as ESSENTIAL and IMPORTANT. Leave the rest as minor. The appropriate selection of Learning Objectives is an essential part of the IDEA Student Ratings of Instructional System. For help with this process, see the three resources below.
*** IDEA Resource - video overview on how to select Objectives to provide feedback relevant to the course.
*** IDEA Resource - article on how to choose objectives
Ask these questions when selecting objectives:
- Is it a significant part of the course?
- Do you do something specific to help students accomplish the objective?
- Does the student’s progress on the objective influence his or her grade?
STEP 4: (Optional) Add custom questions. If you would like to gather feedback on a specific element of your course (ex: a project, a new resource, a guest lecturer, a new teaching approach, etc), you may add your own Likert-style or Open-Ended questions to the IDEA. This must be done before the IDEA opens to students. Note: All fully online courses will automatically include a set of 10 custom questions (see below) developed in accordance with the Distance Education Policy Manual.
Additional Questions for Online Courses
Scaled: Strongly Disagree - Disagree - Neither Agree nor Disagree - Agree - Strongly Agree
1.I was adequately informed about and prepared for the demands of this course.
2.The page layout and navigation for the course was easy to follow.
3.Course goals and objectives were clearly communicated
4.Materials and resources used were well-selected and relevant to the course
5.Instructions for activities and assignments were thorough and clear.
6.The instructor's presence and involvement in the course contributed to my learning.
7.I was able to get technology support when needed.
8.Expectations for student behavior with respect to academic honesty were clearly communicated.
Open Ended
9.What aspect of the course contributed most to your learning?
10.What suggestions would you offer for improvement of this course?
*** Campus Labs resource - Adding Custom Questions
STEP 5: Provide instructions for students and encourage them to complete the course IDEA. The more feedback you can gather, the more valid and useful it will be. Encourage students to provide feedback by posting an Announcement and providing direct access from your Canvas course to this address: https://saintfrancis.campuslabs.com/courseeval. This helps to ensure a high response rate. It is also best practice to talk to students about the IDEA process, to encourage honest and constructive feedback, and to discuss how the data is used to improve teaching practice.
*** Campus Labs Resource - View The Student Experience to get an overview of what the system looks like to students.
STEP 6: Review your IDEA Summary Reports. Once the administration period is over, you can view the feedback by logging into your faculty dashboard and selecting the Report tab at the top of the page. Select the semester you wish to review, then select the course you are interested in.
*** Campus Labs Resource - interpreting Summative and Formative Reports.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What should I tell my students about IDEA?
Your Voice Matters. Your voice and your point of view are important. The confidential feedback you provide at the end of every course helps make your school a better place for learning. The IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction surveys ask you specific, easy-to-answer questions about your courses and instructors. Taking a few minutes to complete the survey for each of your classes is worth the time. Whether you think you had a great learning experience or one that needs improvement--your constructive feedback about what was useful or not in your learning become part of a helpful report that faculty use to improve courses. When commenting, general remarks are not as useful as those that are specific and provide examples of whatever you are describing. And remember to be respectful in your comments and avoid offensive statements or those based on things like race, religion, sexual orientation and other distinctions. Students, faculty, and staff are all a part of the same educational community. When surveys are made available at the end of each course, take time to give your thoughtful feedback. Your voice matters.
2. What happens if a student forgets to bring his or her laptop to class?
The student can use another person’s laptop after he or she has completed the survey. Since each student must login to the survey using their own student id, it doesn’t matter which computer is used.
3. What happens if the student’s id (username) does not work?
First, make sure that the student is using the correct information. If the student cannot gain access to the student response form, please contact Theresa Wilson (x2799 or [email protected]).
4. Why is it important to administer electronic IDEAs in the classroom?
Setting aside class time for students to complete the IDEA form sends the message that you take the course evaluation process seriously enough to devote time to it. It also helps to ensure that as many students in the class as possible provide feedback. Larger response rates ensure more reliable results. Finally, it helps to ensure that the students are completing the forms having heard the same information and in the same conditions as their classmates.
5. Why do I need to have a colleague administer the IDEA?
Research shows that faculty who remain in the classroom while students are completing the surveys influence student responses, even when electronic surveys are used.
6. When should I administer the course evaluation?
IDEA recommends administering the course evaluations no later than the next to last week of classes. IDEA also recommends setting aside time at the beginning of a class, rather than the end, so students are not rushing to leave the classroom. If this option is used, the instructor should set aside a specific amount of time (20 minutes is usually sufficient) and then continue with class.
Your Voice Matters. Your voice and your point of view are important. The confidential feedback you provide at the end of every course helps make your school a better place for learning. The IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction surveys ask you specific, easy-to-answer questions about your courses and instructors. Taking a few minutes to complete the survey for each of your classes is worth the time. Whether you think you had a great learning experience or one that needs improvement--your constructive feedback about what was useful or not in your learning become part of a helpful report that faculty use to improve courses. When commenting, general remarks are not as useful as those that are specific and provide examples of whatever you are describing. And remember to be respectful in your comments and avoid offensive statements or those based on things like race, religion, sexual orientation and other distinctions. Students, faculty, and staff are all a part of the same educational community. When surveys are made available at the end of each course, take time to give your thoughtful feedback. Your voice matters.
2. What happens if a student forgets to bring his or her laptop to class?
The student can use another person’s laptop after he or she has completed the survey. Since each student must login to the survey using their own student id, it doesn’t matter which computer is used.
3. What happens if the student’s id (username) does not work?
First, make sure that the student is using the correct information. If the student cannot gain access to the student response form, please contact Theresa Wilson (x2799 or [email protected]).
4. Why is it important to administer electronic IDEAs in the classroom?
Setting aside class time for students to complete the IDEA form sends the message that you take the course evaluation process seriously enough to devote time to it. It also helps to ensure that as many students in the class as possible provide feedback. Larger response rates ensure more reliable results. Finally, it helps to ensure that the students are completing the forms having heard the same information and in the same conditions as their classmates.
5. Why do I need to have a colleague administer the IDEA?
Research shows that faculty who remain in the classroom while students are completing the surveys influence student responses, even when electronic surveys are used.
6. When should I administer the course evaluation?
IDEA recommends administering the course evaluations no later than the next to last week of classes. IDEA also recommends setting aside time at the beginning of a class, rather than the end, so students are not rushing to leave the classroom. If this option is used, the instructor should set aside a specific amount of time (20 minutes is usually sufficient) and then continue with class.