The Rice Thresher

Location: http://the.ricethresher.org/news/2007/04/13/evaluation_prizes_return

April 13, 2007 > News > Prizes for evaluations return

Prizes for evaluations return

By Beko Binder | Thresher Editorial Staff

Aimed at boosting course evaluation response rates, the Provost’s Office is funding $5,000 in prizes for students who fill out improved ESTHER-based forms. Last semester only 37 percent of course evaluations were filled out, down from 50 to 60 percent when paper course evaluations were filled out in class.

Registrar David Tenney said the Provost’s Office agreed to purchase the prizes as incentives to fill out course evaluations. He said the current list of prizes includes nine iPods, nine Wiis, $15 iTunes, Starbucks and Target gift cards and a Playstation 3. Students who fill out evaluations earlier will have a higher chance of winning.

Students will also be using a new online interface, approved by the Faculty Senate Feb. 28. While the first online evaluations had multiple choice questions spread out through several pages, all questions have now been reduced to a single page. Under this system, students will also be able to view their peers’ written and numerical evaluations in the fall.

Tenney said he was pleasantly surprised the Faculty Senate approved the changes, and he hopes they will help raise evaluation response rates.

“I think that really came out of student input,” he said. “I know that there were students who contacted the Faculty Senate working group on evaluations, and they articulated their desire to see them. The Faculty Senate agreed, and I am glad to see that.”

Students may begin filling out course evaluations Monday and can do so until May 18. Students who have not completed the evaluations by then will be prompted to fill them out before they can view their grades.

Students are allowed to submit a blank form to access their Spring 2007 grades, but blank responses will not count in the raffle which will last about 4 weeks.

End of article

Back to top