By: Justin Worthing ~Staff Writer~
Students have already begun adjusting to the new course evaluation system via EvaluationKIT on Canvas, which administrators have switched to in an effort to create more sustainable business practices. All submissions still remain anonymous, but most students must now complete the evaluations outside of class.
Evaluations opened starting on midnight of Dec. 1 and will close at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 14. These evaluations include questions which are answered on a 1 to 5 scale as well as a few written response questions.
Students who visit their class’s respective Canvas pages should see a pop-up window directing them to the course evaluation. If the pop-up does not appear or if the student presses the wrong button on the pop-up, the evaluation can be accessed at the bottom of the left-hand menu bar.
Students have also received reminder emails over the past week that includes a link to Canvas as well as instructions on how to access the evaluations.
Steve Herbert, associate provost for Academic Affairs, has assured students that the switch to an online system still respects the anonymity of the submission.
“No one at Xavier can see who submitted a specific evaluation,” Herbert said in a letter to students. “And since the narrative responses are typed, there are no handwritten responses to identify you. Faculty will be able to read your evaluations one week after the deadline to submit final grades passes.”
Evaluations are read by the chairs of each respective department as well as the professors teaching the courses.
Canvas and EvaluationKIT are also accessible on devices other than computers, such as smart phones and tablets. Accessing the website on these devices, however, could cause some formatting issues, so it is recommended that students use computers to complete the evaluation.
All classes should be accessible via Canvas, and courses like E/RS and DCR courses which traditionally required two evaluations have now been combined into one. Students will not need to fill out two separate forms.