Skip to main content

Faculty/Course Evaluations

Measurement and Evaluation Center (MEC) conducts the end-of-course faculty/course evaluations each semester using online evaluation forms.  The use of online evaluation reduces the time to provide feedback to the faculty member, is more cost-effective, as well as being more environmentally friendly. Starting Spring 2019, all academic departments will use ONLINE evaluations only.

During an online evaluation period, students will receive email reminders that list courses they can evaluate online at AccessUH and instructions on how to complete the evaluations.   

At the conclusion of each semester, MEC processes the faculty/course evaluations, generates individual faculty reports, and provides various statistical reports for academic departments.  The reports are generally uploaded to the reporting site within three (3) business days after the Post Grade Deadline of the regular session (Session 1).

The processing of faculty/course evaluation reports starts one day after Post Grade Deadline as published in the University of Houston's Academic Calendar.

Faculty/course evaluation reports:

  • Faculty: please visit AccessUH. Cougarnet ID credentials are required to view the reports under Course Instructor.
  • Students: please visit AccessUH, click on the course evaluation icon, and then click on View Reports.

The CD for the evaluation reports is available at the MD Anderson Library.

Administration of Online Faculty/Course Evaluations in Class

Faculty are encouraged to set aside class time for students to complete their faculty/course evaluations. By allocating 10-15 minutes during class for students to complete course evaluations, instructors are not only increasing the overall student response rates but are also increasing the likelihood that students have time to think through their responses.

In preparation for in-class completion of faculty/course evaluations, faculty may want to remind students to bring a mobile device to class (smartphone, tablet, laptop).

Recommended Strategies for Faculty to Increase Response Rates

  • Set aside time at the beginning or in the middle of your class for your students to complete the online teaching evaluations.  (Note: If teaching evaluations are scheduled for the end of class, students are more likely to leave without completing the evaluation intending to complete it at a later point).
  • Tell the students that you carefully review the prior semester's teaching evaluations and modify course content accordingly.  Thus, the evaluations can contribute to the quality of courses in the department and at the University of Houston in general.  Also to tell the students to take the time to complete these evaluations honestly and fairly.   
  • Describe the kind of feedback you find most useful, especially in the comment section as this is often the most valuable information to faculty.
  • Remind students that evaluations are designed to be completely anonymous and that you will not be able to see any of their evaluations until after final grades have been submitted.
  • Consider adding faculty/course evaluation information to the course syllabus.

Communication Materials

The Faculty Senate in collaboration with the Office of the Provost developed some communication materials that could be sent by individual instructors to their students communicating the importance of providing feedback to their instructors through student course evaluations, as well as step-by-step instructions for accessing and completing their online course evaluations.

These communication materials consist of “Messaging Recommendations” for faculty instructors, including template reminder email language for both face-to-face and online classes, as well as a "Step-By-Step Guide to Completing Student Teaching Evaluations" that can be sent to students on accessing and completing their course evaluations. 

Please use these communication materials to encourage students to complete their course evaluations.