Listed here are tried-and-true ways to increase response rates to your course surveys. If you have other ideas or suggestions that have worked for you, please let us know! Email the CELT Course Evaluation Team at CourseEval@stonybrook.edu

Getting Response Rates Tip 1:

It would be very helpful if you set aside five minutes at the beginning of class to speak with students about the evaluation process. Mentioning the following items will greatly increase your chances of success:
Tell students that the evaluation period has begun.
Give students a few specific examples of how you used feedback from past course evaluations. For example: "Last semester the evaluations said I should make better use of the course website, and that is why this year I have been posting notes online."
Tell students that their responses are completely anonymous, and that teachers will only see results after grades are released.
Going over this information at the start of the evaluation period will set the stage for a strong response rate in your class and for the university as a whole.
It is important to help students understand that their feedback is greatly valued by you personally, as well as by the school. So, as you are able, please remind your students to complete their course evaluations.

Getting Response Rates Tip 2:

As an instructor you can email your students from our system! The email will be sent only to students in all of your classes who have not completed their evaluations. The emails will be anonymous, so you will not know who they are being sent to. This provides an excellent way for students to understand how important it is to complete their evaluations. To edit the emails, click on Email Students in the header menu.

Getting Response Rates Tip 3:

Print out reminders that you can hand out to students in class.

Getting Response Rates Tip 4:

You can keep the students aware of their progress by just writing the response rates on the board at the beginning of each class. This takes a lot of the pressure off of you reminding them. You could also project the response rates for all your classes using the data below and have a competition between classes for the highest response rate.

Getting Response Rates Tip 5:

Let the students know they can complete the surveys on their smartphones or any mobile device!