Information for Instructors

Why do the course evaluations exist?

One objective of the course evaluations is for instructors to receive feedback from the students in order to continually improve their instruction. Another reason is that the results enable the TU Dresden to assess the teaching situation and to develop strategies for improving the teaching. Section 7, paragraph 4 of the Evaluation Regulations of the TU Dresden (in conjunction with § 9 paragraph 3 of the SächsHSG) forms the legal basis of the course evaluation.

Who decides which courses are to be evaluated?

The selection of the courses to be evaluated is the responsibility of the study commission. It is ensured that all course types are adequately considered and each instructor will have a course evaluated at least every three years (§ 9 Principles of the Quality Management System for Teaching and Learning at the TU Dresden). Both the selection of the course as well as the underlying selection criteria are to be announced internally to the faculty or department and outlined in the yearly report of the study commission or in the teaching report of the faculty or department.
More frequent course evaluations are of course possible. Courses given by non-professorial teaching staff, lecturers etc. can also be evaluated.

Whom should I contact if I want to have my course evaluated?

Please contact to your reference person (the person responsible for the evaluation) at the beginning of the semester and give them the following minimum information: type of course, name of course, expected number of participants, further instructors (if applicable), email address for receiving the results, to which study program it associates. Your reference person will forward this information to the Center for Quality Analysis.

I would not rather have my course evaluated in class. Are there other options, for example an online evaluation?

It is also possible that online surveys can be carried out if the course is suitable. In choosing this method, a smaller response must be calculated. If you are interested please contact the person responsible for your evaluation. 

There are less than 25 participants in my course. How can I have this course evaluated?

As a basic rule only courses with a minimum of 10 completed questionnaires can be analyzed by the ZQA. To protect the anonymity of the students, questionnaires from courses with less than 10 participants will be destroyed in accordance with data protection regulations. For courses with less than 25 participants a qualitative survey method is recommended and can be implemented in your course. As an alternative you can engage in a personal dialogue with the students. The questionnaire can serve as an interview guideline. Information about the various surveying processes can be downloaded here. The staff responsible for the course evaluation will be happy to advise you about the methods and implementation of such qualitative processes.

Are there deadlines? Why are these important?

The time period for the written course evaluations is standardized for the entire TU Dresden. The evaluation time period occurs approximately in the second third of the lecture period. Deadlines are necessary to ensure that the results of the surveys can be discussed by the respective instructors and students of each course together at the end of the lecture period.

Why is the consent form so important?

Your consent (see the Consent Form) is necessary for the analysis of the questionnaires. You therewith approve not only to having your data analyzed but also to the having your data saved after being anonymized and to the use of this anonymized data for research purposes. You additionally determine if and in which form the results may be published. Your consent form can be given either as limited for the current semester or further valid until revoked. Furthermore you should approve to have the results passed on to the study commission. The study commission will be the ones who discuss the teaching conditions in the study program and develop strategies for improving the quality of teaching.

Who evaluates the results? How do I receive the results? How long does it take to receive the results?

During the evaluation period, which takes two to three weeks on average, the questionnaires are scanned and analyzed within the framework of the project “Evaluation of Instruction” in the Center for Quality Analysis. Following this, you will receive the results per email. From summer semester 2018, the comments will also be included in the evaluation.

How are the results of the course evaluation utilized?

The results of the surveys are to be discussed by the teachers and students together at the end of the lecture period. In addition to this the study commission receives the evaluation results from the person responsible for the evaluation, provided that a Consent Form from the instructor exists. The study commission discusses the results and presents their conclusions in the yearly report of the study commission and in the teaching report of the faculty or department.

Can third parties see my results without my consent?

Evaluations are sent per encrypted email directly to the instructors. Third parties therefore cannot see the results without your consent.

How is the protection of my data guaranteed?

Research in the social sciences is subject to the strictest requirements regarding data protection laws. Arrangements were made with the authorized data protection commission, whose directions and regulations were heeded and will be adhered to. All of our employees have been informed in this regard.

I would like to see the results of my course evaluation from over 5 years ago. Is this possible?

No. All sets of data for the project “Evaluation of Instruction” are anonymized and stored for a maximum of 5 years. These sets of data contain merely the raw data of the questionnaires per course and are not attributed to specific people. The corresponding analyses are deleted at the end of the respective semester.