About
Administration
Effective Spring 2017, course and teaching evaluations are administered by the Office of the University Registrar in partnership with the Office of the Provost and a cross-school governing body of academic associate deans. The Center for Teaching also serves as a university resource on course evaluation literature and best practices. For current contact information about course and teaching evaluations, visit the Contact page.
Software
Students utilize an online, mobile-friendly software system to complete their course evaluations. The software – named Blue and produced by the company eXplorance – was chosen by a working group with broad faculty representation from multiple schools as well as student representation from the Vanderbilt Student Government (VSG). The new platform is:
- administered online
- mobile-friendly (including smart phones, tablets, and laptops)
- supportive of fixed-choice and open-ended questions
- integrated with Vanderbilt’s single sign-on (VUnetID)
Survey Questions
Students in the four undergraduate schools, the Graduate School, the Divinity School, and some programs in the School of Medicine answer a set of course evaluation survey questions designed to better measure a variety of teaching and learning outcomes. (The Law School, Owen Graduate School of Management, and School of Nursing have their own sets of survey questions.) These questions are the result of a multi-committee examination of Vanderbilt’s evaluation practices. Committee research methods included student focus-groups, individual interviews, a review of scholarly literature, and an analysis of best practices at peer institutions. The new questions are intended to:
- provide clarity
- be efficient
- yield high quality responses
- yield increased response rates
- facilitate the implementation of formative feedback and the improvement of teaching and instruction
The revised evaluation questionnaire also allows for continuity in the faculty evaluation processes given that the traditional questions used for this purpose have been retained in the revised questionnaire.
Committee Reports & Membership
Vanderbilt’s current course evaluation practices reflect the work of three committees beginning in 2013 with cross-school representation from students, faculty, and staff.
2016 Task Force for Course Evaluation Completion
- Nilanjan Sarkar- chair, School of Engineering
- Cynthia Cyrus, Provost’s Office
- Jen Gunderman, Blair School of Music
- Tricia Keaton, College of Arts and Science
- Danielle Kitchen, Undergraduate Student, Peabody College of Education and Human Development
- Kristopher Preacher, Peabody College of Education and Human Development
2015 Teaching Evaluation Finalization Task Force
Membership:
- Craig Smith, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, chair
- Anita Manhadevan-Jansen, School of Engineering
- Andy Van Schaack, Peabody College of Education and Human Development
- Liz Zechmeister, College of Arts and Science
2014 Committee to Reevaluate Evaluations
Membership:
- Mark Schoenfield, College of Arts and Science, co-chair
- Leona Schauble, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, co-chair
- Julia Babbage, Undergraduate Student, Peabody College of Education and Human Development
- John Braxton, Peabody College of Education and Human Development
- Derek Bruff, Center for Teaching
- Karen Campbell, College of Arts and Science
- André Christe-Mizell, College of Arts and Science
- Cynthia Cyrus, Provost’s Office
- Annie Daorai, Undergraduate Student, College of Arts and Science
- Isaac Escamilla, Undergraduate Student, College of Arts and Science
- Kathy Friedman, College of Arts and Science
- DeLesslin “Roo” George-Warren, Undergraduate Student, Blair School of Music
- Mark Hosford, College of Arts and Science
- Kane Jennings, School of Engineering
- Anita Mahadevan- Jansen, School of Engineering
- Maryclaire Manard, Undergraduate Student, College of Arts and Science
- Art Overholser, School of Engineering
- Melissa Rose, Blair School of Music
- Zachary Roth, Undergraduate Student, School of Engineering
- Virginia Scott, College of Arts and Science
- Craig Smith, Peabody College of Education and Human Development
- Allison Wisialowski, Undergraduate Student, Peabody College of Education and Human Development