Campus Guidelines and Overview

The Purdue University Faculty Senate Doc. 97-9 specifies that teaching evaluation systems should consist not only of end-of semester student ratings but other forms of evaluation also, such as peer review. Furthermore, it specifies that individual academic units can develop their own web based evaluation systems provided that they meet with specified campus guidelines. For examples of other types of teaching and course evaluation, contact the Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE) at 6-6424. CIE will also direct you to departments that have developed their own web-based end-of-course systems.  

In the Purdue University Senate Document 97-9, the Faculty Senate affirmed the need for each department/school to establish local criteria for effective teaching, including information gathered from students, teaching assistants, peers, and other sources, and to use periodic evaluations as one tool to enhance instructional quality and to foster faculty development. Further, the Senate document indicated that every course and every instructor should be evaluated by students for each offering of the course unless confidentiality of the students cannot be assured.

Senate Document 97-9 also specified that each locally generated system should contain some items with quantifiable responses. Two common items related to overall course and overall instructor rating were established by a faculty steering committee and endorsed in the University Senate Document. They are to be incorporated in all rating forms on a University-wide basis. The steering committee also recommended a standard set of demographic items and administration, scoring, and reporting procedures.