- Student evaluations should be considered as part of an overall teaching evaluation system that includes regular peer review, faculty self-assessment, and other forms of assessment, as appropriate.
- Educational programs and incentives should be developed to ensure a high rate of participation in the evaluation of teaching.
- Evaluations of teaching shall ensure students’ confidentiality, e.g., the students will not be required to provide their name and/or student number.
- Student evaluation of teaching should be student-centred (i.e., ultimately improving the learning experience) and it must provide a mechanism for receiving reliable and valid data from students on a range of topics related to their learning experiences.
- Student Evaluations of Teaching should be administered in every course section at UBC every time it is offered including those offered to undergraduate, graduate and continuing studies students. Exceptions to this requirement are courses of an individual/independent nature (e.g., independent study courses, special research projects, thesis, music studios, etc.) or sections with very small enrollments as defined by each faculty, where other means of obtaining student feedback may be more appropriate.
- A rating scale (when used) of 1–5 should be adopted for all evaluation questions, with 5 being the most positive response.
- In addition to the formal summative evaluations by students, faculty members are strongly encouraged to seek formative feedback during the course, using methods of their own choice.
- Carefully planned dissemination, feedback, and response strategies are needed, so that the data can be used to improve the learning environment.
- Different stakeholder constituencies of the University require different information in order to assess the quality of teaching and provide appropriate support structures that encourage teaching excellence.
