Leveraging Explorance Blue and Canvas to Achieve a 75%+ Course Evaluation Response Rate at the University of Nevada Las Vegas

Challenge: Overcoming Decentralization and Low Participation in Course Evaluations

UNLV encountered significant obstacles with its course evaluation process, primarily due to decentralization. Before 2022, the process was fragmented, resulting in inconsistent participation and low response rates. Many departments chose to opt out of evaluations rather than opting in, which led to insufficient feedback from students. Additionally, the primary method of reaching students was through email, which proved ineffective in securing their participation in the course evaluation process.

Solution: Streamlining the Course Evaluation Experience with Canvas Integration

In Spring 2023, UNLV began to transform its course evaluation process, implementing university-level questions and making course evaluations mandatory. By Summer 2023, UNLV completed a deep integration between its course evaluation software, Explorance Blue, and its Learning Management System (LMS), Canvas.

The integration created multiple access points to fill out course evaluations and included features such as notifications, pop-ups, and embedded links within Canvas to encourage student participation.

In Fall 2023, UNLV implemented a course block to ensure students complete any pending evaluations before accessing certain course materials. To accompany this change, UNLV extended the evaluation period so that students had sufficient
time to complete their course evaluations and access their learning materials. This centralized approach aimed to support diverse student populations and enhance overall student success across the entire university. 

Outcome: Achieving Higher Student Engagement and Participation

The integration and policy changes led to notable improvements. Following the deep integration with Explorance Blue and Canvas, the response rate increased from 32% in Fall 2022 to 77% in Spring 2024, demonstrating a significant rise in student participation.

The data showed that most students were completing their evaluations through Canvas and the increase in response rates was apparent across various student demographics and academic levels. For instance, the response rate for freshmen increased by 190.49%,  and for Pacific Islander students, it surged by 248.64%. This demographic filtering has allowed the UNLV course evaluation team to monitor trends, identity areas for improvement and use course evaluation data to supplement student retention, progression and completion efforts at UNLV. The integration of Explorance Blue course evaluations with Canvas, combined with policy changes, effectively transformed the response rate landscape, helping centralize the evaluation process at UNLV. This initiative led to higher student engagement and more comprehensive feedback for faculty and administration to take action on, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and effective educational environment.