From Authoring Questions to Interpreting Results
While UVA's official course evaluation system (referred to as "Blue") does not currently allow you to add instructor-authored questions, these tips will help you create a useful survey that you can deploy in paper form or through any survey tool, like UVA Qualtrics.
By design, end-of-semester evaluations are intended to give you insight into your students’ experience with the course. It is important to consider: What are the questions that only students can answer? How can they be framed in ways that they solicit concrete, constructive, nuanced feedback? As you write the questions, consider:
Less is more: 3-8 questions will be enough depending on the number already in the evaluation.
Prioritize: What is most helpful for you to know at this point? What will help inform your teaching?
Use “short answer” questions sparingly: While they often give you the most valuable insights, too many will be overwhelming for students (and you).
Make it about learning not liking: Phrase the questions accordingly.
When using Likert-scale questions, make the values and order consistent.