Course Evaluation & Improvement

A central part of the assurance of quality in learning and teaching is feedback from students on a regular basis in relation to both course design and teaching. There are many ways for academic staff to obtain this feedback. What is important is that the feedback is used to reflect on the course and teaching, to assist in developing revisions and improvements, and that students are informed of the impact of their feedback.

The Course and Teaching Evaluation and Improvement (CATEI) process is a formal method for obtaining and acting on student feedback of courses and teaching at UNSW. In addition to this formal process, many Schools and individual academic staff use a variety of methods to obtain student feedback and other stakeholders. This practice will continue to be encouraged, in conjunction with CATEI.

Overview of CATEI

An overview of CATEI can be found in the University publication ‘ The CATEI Process – Information for Staff and Students’. Additional information is available on the UNSW Learning and Teaching website.

How is CATEI implemented in the Faculty?

Heads of School, in consultation with the Associate Dean (Academic), choose courses and/or teaching staff for surveying, preferably by the end of Week 4. Schools may elect to have more courses evaluated, but the minimum is:

a) Every course (Form A) at least once every 2 offerings.
b) All staff (Form B, C or D) at least once a year.
    
 
CATEI can be administered either online or using hard copy forms.

Staff and Coordinators access CATEI through MyUNSW. Under “My Staff Profile” there is a link to the CATEI portal.

Instructions for School CATEI Coordinators

When in the CATEI Portal, choose “CATEI Forms Setup”.

This will bring you to the following page

Choose Session, Faculty and School from the drop-down menus.

Then you will be able to choose any course in that School from the drop-down menu.

Form A – Course Evaluation

1.    The first you have is to create Strands. Only fill in this if in the one course there are distinct “sub-courses” or strands, which are taught by different people. This is not the same as one course having different tutorials. If there are quite distinct classes, taught by different lecturers, then it may be appropriate to have strands.

2.    Then, whether you have one strand or many, click on the tab marked “Form A: Course Evaluation” (it defaults to that)

3.    Set the Start and End dates for the survey, if you are using the online option.

4.    Then you need to choose the two additional questions to be added. Schools should decide their protocols for doing this. Schools may wish to choose consistent questions for all their courses, to assist in comparing responses, or Schools may allow each course coordinator to choose their own additional questions.

5.    Then you need to list the staff who are authorised to view report. Normally that will be the course coordinator. The Head of School is already authorised. Schools may also wish to have the Program coordinator or Studio coordinator added. Simply put their name in the “Search Name” box, then click “add” against the correct name.

6.    Click on “View Form” to see the form as the student will see it.

Forms B, C or D – Teaching Evaluation
1.    If a course is also being surveyed for teaching, you should then choose the other tabs:
a.    Form B: Large Group Teaching Evaluation [for lectures]
b.    Form C: Small Group Teaching Evaluation [for tutorials and seminars]
c.    Form D: Studio/Design Based Teaching Evaluation [for studio classes]

2.    Once again, you need to choose which additional questions you wish to ask, and add staff to be surveyed.

3.    On the “Staff To Be Added” area you can add as many staff as teach in that particular course. For Form B you may have one or two lecturers, but for Forms C and D there may be as many as six or more. Simply add the name in the search box, then click “Add” on the correct name.

4.    Please note that when you add staff you can also add information to the “ Total Students” and “Description” boxes. Adding in numbers of students in a particular class assists in judging response rate. You can get student numbers from the Class Utilisation website. Giving details of the class time, assists students who may not recognise the staff member’s name. However, if you aren’t concerned with each individual class, and only want to have results for all of the tutor’s teaching, then you won’t need to give times.

5.    If you are not using some of the Forms, please go to the tab, and click on “Not Used” for each form you are not using.

6.    You can then check the process by clicking “Student’s View”.

Paper-Based Surveys

If a School chooses to use paper-based surveys for some or all courses, then the set-up is similar.
You need to set the number of students (for Form A), add the additional questions, set the staff, then click “Generate PDF”. This will generate a PDF document which you can print [double-sided only] and distribute to students.

Detailed Instructions for using paper-based CATEI evaluations

Step 1    Setup form as paper.

Step 2    Click Generate PDF button

Step 3    Check that paper to be printed on is A4 (210 x 297 mm)

Step 4    Click top left print button in Adobe PDF viewer, check printer properties are set to A4 (210 x 297 mm)
    Duplex – Open to Left
Portrait
1 page per sheet
Copies = 1

Step 5    Check printed form alignment
        4 printed corners exist on paper
        Left corners are 13mm from left edge of page
        Right corners are 12 mm from right edge of page
        Top corners are 10mm from top edge of page
        Bottom corners are 9mm from bottom edge of page

Step 6    If out by more than 1 mm, you may have a problem with your printer configuration or missed a critical step above. If not, print the desired number of copies for the class and distribute.
Warning: if forms are received out of alignment (known only when digitally scanning takes place), they will be put aside and processed last.

Step 7    Collect forms and bundle Unique Ids together using paper clips or elastic bands. Remove any unmarked forms.
Note: this is to ensure forms are scanned together, and therefore uploaded together; hence reports will be final when uploaded.

Step 8    Record Unique Id, this is the number below the barcode, either by barcode reader or by typing the number. Essentially when the barcode is decrypted it is the unique number. Mark on your system as used. You may also want to take note of the course code, form type, strand, and class description for ease of looking up.
Note: This can be used later to track the progress of your forms

Step 9    If bundle has priority separate from all others, label clearly as “ Priority 1” and send separately.
Note: These will be sent as priority to the scanners.

Step 10    Send to
IARO
C/O Wendy Polglase
Room 153
Chancellery, UNSW, Kensington, 2052

Instructions for Lecturers/Tutors

If CATEI is being administered online to your students, you do not have to take valuable class time to run the survey. The results will be available to you as soon as they are done and you will also be easily able to cut and paste from the students comments. You should regularly remind students of the importance of filling out the survey. You will receive an email reminding you 4 days before hand. Students can have as long as you like to respond to the survey, and you may wish to run the survey from Week 11 or 12 to Week 16.

If CATEI is being administered using paper, then the School CATEI Coordinator will contact you to arrange a time when it suits to have the evaluation forms to be filled out in class.  The process will normally take place between weeks 10 and 13 of the semester.  Lecturers and tutors must allow about 15 minutes for this to take place and must leave the room whilst the forms are being filled out.  Under no circumstance are the lecturers and tutors allowed to handle these forms.  Only the School CATEI Coordinator and/or student volunteers will handle the forms.

Instructions for Student Volunteers

The School CATEI Coordinator will contact you to work out a work-able timetable for you to get to all classes necessary to carry out this process.  You must collect the forms from the School CATEI Coordinator's office and return them to their office as soon as the forms have been filled out.
Before handing it to the School CATEI Coordinator, please ensure you do the following:

•    All the forms must be aligned the same way.
•    Collate and package the batches as per form Type eg. All Form A together, all Form B etc. Please remove any envelopes, paper clips, or other dividing stationery other than the rubber bands which secure each separate batch.  Do not use staples at any stage.

Who are the key CATEI contacts at COFA?

The Faculty CATEI Co-ordinator is Graham Forsyth (g.forsyth@unsw.edu.au), Associate Dean (Academic) (phone: +61 2 9385 0778).