Student voices can make a difference!

Students have a crucial perspective on teaching and learning at UBC, which you can share by filling out the Student Experience of Instruction (SEI) surveys for each course. These are confidential, and your ratings and comments can benefit future students and can have important impacts for faculty and departments. You will get an email letting you know when the SEI surveys are ready for your courses.

Student feedback on SEI surveys is used in the following ways:

  • Instructors often use your feedback to reflect on what went well and not so well in courses, and to make improvements for the future.
  • The SEI results are considered as part of reappointment, tenure, and promotion decisions for faculty.
  • SEI results are used in applications and adjudications for some teaching awards, both at UBC and outside the institution.
  • Departments, Schools, and Faculties can access aggregate SEI data for courses across their units, to better understand student experiences in multiple courses across year levels, terms, and areas.
  • Aggregate SEI results may be used as part of reviews of departments or programs.

Look for the email to your UBC email account or find the surveys directly via the menu on your course Canvas site

About the Student Experience of Instruction feedback surveys

The University of British Columbia values the quality of the teaching we offer to UBC students. End-of-course student surveys provide the university community with information about student experience of their instruction at UBC.

In May 2007 the UBC Vancouver Senate passed a revised policy on Student Evaluation of Teaching while UBC Okanagan currently operates on a policy adopted from Vancouver in 2005. UBC recognizes the importance of high-quality teaching and requires student evaluation of teaching on a regular basis (with some exceptions, as defined by the policy). For most courses, UBC has implemented a modular approach, where departments, faculties and the university can contribute survey questions.

In May 2020 both the UBCV and UBCO Senates endorsed a change to the name of this process, from Student Evaluation of Teaching to Student Experience of Instruction. Please see the “SEI Changes” section of this site for information on other changes that are happening, based on recommendations endorsed by both UBCO and UBCV Senates.


New UMI Questions

Both UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan have moved to a common set of university module items (UMI) starting in Winter Term 1, Fall 2021.

See the Revisions to University Module Questions page for an in-depth look at the questions.


With the permission of individual faculty members, results for the University Module Items (UMIs) are made available on this site through a CWL login. Please see the “Results” page for more information.