Online course evaluations yield mixed results

Last semester's move to online course evaluations has many questioning whether it was a progressive change. The results are vital to professors' growth and students' voices being heard. However, only 61 percent of undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences participated this fall.

While many believe this to be a radical change, the graduate business school has been using the Internet for years and this past semester's use of fully online evaluations came after three years of a pilot project. The decision came after some faculty members administered their evaluations via the Internet and others remained with the paper version. After comparing response rates, it was revealed that there was no significant difference between the two.

The official choice to implement online course evaluations was made by the Council of Academic Deans, along with the Academic Vice President Dr. Patricia O'Connell Killen. Although this semester's numbers seem low, Killen remains positive.

"Response rates are still very good. I would like them to be higher, but that takes more faculty encouragement and student investment," Killen said.

The Council deemed it necessary to make the change for three reasons. The main reason was that it would minimize errors in the reporting of student responses. One of the issues with paper administration was that students may choose not to fill them out while others would fill out more than one, skewing opinions. There have also been cases in which there were discrepancies between the number of students and the number of evaluations. These issues were not common, but they occur and it is the kind of error that the administration wants to avoid.

The second reason coincides with Gonzaga's dedication to becoming a greener campus. The massive amount of paper used for course evaluations and number of manila envelopes contradicts the university's decision to be a more environmentally friendly campus. It also saves the university money because the purchase of paper and printing supplies is eliminated.

The third reason was that the change saves labor. Employees had to count and recount paper evaluations, making sure there were no numerical contradictions, as well as preparing the evaluations before they are passed out to professors.

With the previous years of analysis and solid reasons, Killen said there was no plan to revert to paper evaluations.

Senior DJ Moxley is excited. "I like them a lot. They're much easier and faster to do now. Some teachers even provide incentives to do them," Moxley said.

Dr. Edward Vacha, of the sociology department, is one such teacher. "The incentives appear to have been very successful. Only time will tell if they will continue to yield the results needed," Vacha said. Because Zagweb records the percentage of student participation, Vacha gave 1 extra credit point if 70 percent of a class submitted evaluations, 2 points for 80 percent, and 3 point if 90 percent completed them. This decision to give extra credit points for his classes was due to his concern that students will not submit them without incentives.

Dr. Frank Slak, who teaches Media Law, has similar feelings. "I know that my faculty friends and acquaintances are concerned that students actually use the system," Slak said. "I also know that we're aware that, without encouragement, only those students who love or hate the class are likely to participate so that the distribution of the values are skewed accordingly."

Vacha agreed. He worries that the majority of students who submit online may be those with personal agendas, thus not representing the class as a whole.

Killen refutes this idea. "There is no data to support the idea that students either hate or love the class to evaluate," she said.

Despite the positive reasons to make the switch, some are still not convinced.

Brian Morisset, a senior, said, "Honestly, I haven't bothered to do them since they are online."

Numbers show that much of the student body feels the same way.

John Kafentzis, from the journalism program, said, "Generally, I just don't think the students are responding well. I only had a quarter to half the class responding, but over 90 percent of students would fill out paper evaluations."

Slak had a similar drop in response rates.

Some faculty members have resorted to taking their classes to nearby computer labs or allowing students to bring their own laptops or cell-phones to submit them during the period. Kafentzis said, "I think students are just so busy at the end of the term that it slips their minds. Next semester, I think I'm going to grab my classes and take them to the lab next door."

Vacha worries that this may cause other peers in the labs to be kicked out for the purpose of getting responses. "I am very concerned that students needing to use the labs to complete end of semester research projects will be asked to leave by instructors using the labs for online evaluations," he said.