Three Paths for Migrating Course Evaluations Online

In a previous post, we examined some disadvantages that traditional, paper-based evaluations have in comparison with online assessments. We also looked closely at some common faculty concerns in moving evaluations online (see part 1 & part 2 of that post).

One common misconception is that migrating course evaluations online is an all-or-nothing decision. Meaning, either the institution moves the entire process online at once, or not at all. However, that assumption is incorrect. In today’s post we outline three different paths that you can follow to transition to online evaluations. Regardless of the approach, the result is the same: leveraging online course evaluations to improve the quality of education, enhance the student experience and for continuous improvement.

1. Natural evolution:

   One path is to naturally transition from paper to online evaluations in phases. There are three approaches within this path: horizontal, vertical and opt-in migration. With horizontal migration, your institution can start by evaluating a particular number of courses and increase the number each term. In a vertical transition, the migration is completed by school or by faculty. In this approach, each school moves their course evaluations online in sequence (School of Business followed by School of Law, etc.). Lastly, you can transition to online assessments with an opt-in approach. In this method, each instructor chooses when they move their evaluations online. Regardless of the approach, there are no delays and both paper and online versions can run in parallel until there are campus-wide online evaluations.

2. In-class evaluations:

   Another path you can choose is to conduct online assessments in-class and then transition to online evaluations outside of the classroom. As we mentioned previously, administering evaluations in class (on laptop, mobile device or in computer lab) can help increase student response rates and engagement. After using the in-class approach for a term or two, you can then transition all course evaluations outside of the class room (to be performed online by student).

3. Complete switch:

   The third path is to make a quick and complete switch from 100% paper-based forms to 100% online evaluations. In this method, evaluations move from being performed in-class to being completed outside of class (on student time). Online evaluations provide a myriad of benefits to the institution (strategic & operational), faculty (development) and students alike. Institution-wide benefits include: saving time and money, gathering better quality data, quicker access to results and greater accessibility to name a few. To ensure a smooth online transition, you should look for a flexible system that can support all three methods for online migration.