Professor Zone

If you experience a problem with the EvaluAction platform, visit the Technical support section to troubleshoot and find a quick solution. For any question regarding course evaluation and the EvaluAction platform or if you have comments or suggestions, please send us an email.
Benefits of course evaluations

- Engage with your students.
When you encourage your students to complete their evaluations, you help the University offer top quality programs and courses.
- See the impact of your teaching.
Feedback from students reflects your commitment to their learning.
- Excel as a professor.
Directly measure how well you are teaching your students and learn how you can improve your teaching methods to help them succeed.
Teaching Dossier – New!
On June 10, 2019, the Senate approved the recommendation of the Senate Committee on Teaching and Teaching Evaluation to adopt the teaching dossier as a tool for the formal assessment of teaching.
A teaching dossier is an evolving “summary of an academic's major teaching accomplishments and strengths. It is to an academic's teaching what lists of publications, grants, and academic honours are to research.” (CAUT The Teaching Dossier, 2018, p. 2).
A teaching dossier is:
- A document that is prepared by the instructor, unlike the traditional teaching evaluation questionnaires designed by committees, administrators or governmental agencies.
- A tool used by the institution to evaluate a professor's overall teaching performance, but also a self-evaluation tool to help professors reflect regularly on their teaching and thereby constantly improve their instructional practices.
- It is a selective document: professors choose the information and materials they want to include that best represent their performance and progress.
The teaching dossier include these three compulsory documents:
- a statement of the professor’s teaching philosophy
- the A-reports
- a brief reflection on the results of these reports and the actions planned to enrich their teaching.
The Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS) provides training and resources to help faculty members write their teaching philosophy and build their teaching dossier. Resources for the evaluation of these dossiers are also available to the members of the Faculty committees and the Joint Committee of the Senate.
Personal Report – New!
On October 21, 2019, the Senate approved the recommendation of the Senate Committee on Teaching and Teaching Evaluation to adopt the personal report that brings together in a single report:
- the P-report
- student comments
- the customized formative evaluation report (if applicable)
The minimum threshold of respondents to produce the P-report has been reduced to one (1) and the X-report has been abolished. Thus, professors who teach small classes have the option of including the P-report in their teaching dossier.
As for the A-report and the Course Evaluation Report (formerly S-report), the minimum threshold of respondents remains at six (6).
Customized formative evaluation
The customized formative evaluation is an optional tool tailored to your individual needs that provides feedback on specific aspects of your courses. You can choose up to 10 questions from the bank of customized questions to be added to the official evaluation of your course. You alone will see the answers to the questions you have added once the final marks are considered official.
To include these questions, proceed as follow:
- You will receive an email inviting you to add your customized formative questions on EvaluAction. Click on the link provided in the email or log in to VirtuO. Under the "Teaching" tab, click on the “Evaluation of teaching and courses (EvaluAction)” link.
- On the EvaluAction platform, you will see a list of all the courses you are teaching at the moment. Choose one of these courses to add questions. Note that you can add the same questions to all your courses.
- The questions are categorized by theme. In each category, click Show section to see all the questions in a given theme. Select the questions you wish to add to the questionnaire (maximum of 10 per course).
- Click Submit.
Evaluation response rates
As a professor, you can see how many of your students have completed your evaluation at any given time. To do so, follow these instructions.
- You will receive an email inviting you to view your response rates on EvaluAction. Click on the link provided in the email or log in to VirtuO. Under the "Teaching" tab, click on the “Evaluation of teaching and courses (EvaluAction)” link.
- In the EvaluAction platform, you will have access to a list of all the courses you are teaching at the moment. Choose one of these courses to view the number of responses, the number of registered students and participation rate.
Reports
You will receive an email once the marks are official to view the results: A-Report and Personal Report. To learn how to consult your evaluation reports, follow the instructions (PDF).
Frequently asked questions
Evaluation and its function
Who determines how course evaluations work?
These matters are handled by the Senate Committee on Teaching and Teaching Evaluation, made up of the Vice-Provost, Academic Affairs; one regular faculty member of each faculty; one regular faculty member of Saint Paul University; two part-time faculty members; two undergraduate student senators; two graduate student senators. The Committee meets between six to eight times a year to discuss evaluation issues.
Who reads these evaluations?
The answers to questions 1, 4 and 9 of the questionnaire, which constitute the A-report, are seen by the dean and the chair of the academic unit. The Personal Report is seen by the professor and serves to improve his teaching.
The Joint Committee of the Senate and of the Board of Governors examines very carefully the Teaching Dossier of a professor (which includes the A reports) to determine the granting of a promotion or tenure. A professor who has poor teaching assessments may be denied a promotion or tenure.
How are student evaluations used?
First, student evaluations help give professors an idea of what students think of the course. Student comments can be used as a starting point for professors who want to make adjustments to the course or add or change certain aspects of the educational materials being used.
Second, the evaluation results must be added to the professor’s Teaching Dossier and are used by the faculties for evaluation purposes. It should be noted, however, that faculties do not rely solely on these evaluations to judge the quality of the professor’s teaching (see articles 24 and 24.3 of the APUO collective agreement).
Lastly, some students may use the public versions of the evaluation results to select their courses.
Which aspects of my teaching are subject to evaluation by students?
Research on university education recognizes that there is no exhaustive list of effective teaching strategies or a “perfect teacher,” since individual teachers have their own methods and preferences. Thus, course evaluations by students are used to evaluate how students perceive certain aspects of the course they are likely to have an opinion on, such as how well the professor prepares or organizes the lessons. The 13 questions currently used at the University of Ottawa are listed below:
- I find the professor well prepared for class.
- The professor’s teaching is stimulating.
- The course is well organized.
- I think the professor conveys the subject matter effectively.
- The professor was available to address questions outside class hours.
- The professor’s expectations of students for this course are clear.
- Assignments and/or exams closely reflect what was covered in the course.
- The professor’s feedback on assignments and /or exams is… (very useful, useful, not very useful, useless, no feedback).
- I find that the professor as a teacher is… (excellent, good, acceptable, poor, very poor)
- I learned a lot in this course.
- In comparison with my other courses, the workload for this course is . . . (very heavy, heavier than average, average, lighter than average, very light)
- Overall, I find this course… (excellent, good, acceptable, poor, very poor).
- I would recommend this course to another student.
Students can also provide comments by answering the following open-ended questions:
- What did you like about the course or the professor’s teaching?
- How can the course or teaching be improved?
Student course evaluations are not aimed at evaluating non-teaching factors (such as the time of the course or how well it fits into their program of study). The evaluations do not question students on substantive aspects of the course, such as the relevance of the subject matter or the choice of the material taught.
Are course evaluations the only assessment of teaching performance?
There are various means of analyzing the quality of a professor’s teaching. Official standard evaluations can indicate how that teaching is perceived by students and how it could be improved. Customized evaluations represent another means of obtaining feedback on specific aspects of a course.
Professors may also choose to evaluate their courses at mid-term by asking students to fill out an unofficial questionnaire, with results that will only be used by the professor. The Teaching Dossier is the ideal tool for self-evaluation, documenting teaching activities and to reflect on one’s personal development.
Finally, an in-class evaluation by a peer may be a further means of identifying and remedying teaching difficulties.
Participation rates
What is an ideal participation rate?
Obviously, an ideal participation rate would be 100%! While existing rates may be valid, the University favours participation rates above 65%.
What are the best strategies to improve participation?
There are a number of avenues for reflection and certain ideas have been put forward in previous research. Thus, the involvement of professors or academic leaders (or a demonstration of their interest) in student course evaluations may have a considerable impact on participation rates. For example, one important strategy is that of explaining the importance of the evaluation to students and proving that importance (i.e. by explaining which improvements have already been made to the course in response to student input). In addition, simply sending an email to students asking them to complete the evaluation can have a substantial impact on participation rates.
Visit the Toolbox page for more strategies.
How can I get better evaluations?
There is no consensus in the research on the definition of an effective teacher, for at least three reasons: first, each professor has their own strengths and weaknesses; second, each student has teaching and learning preferences; and third, each student reacts differently to each of the professor’s strengths and weaknesses.
That said, here are a few of the effective strategies that students evaluate directly during course evaluations:
- Giving students course-specific materials prepared by the professor (exercises, course outlines, PowerPoint presentations, etc.)
- Managing class time effectively
- Having a dynamic delivery style (non-verbal expression, tone of voice, type of examples used, etc.)
- Preparing an outline of the topics to be covered (regardless of format) for each class so that the students have some points of reference
- Using a variety of teaching strategies
- Being available to students (in person, by telephone, email, course discussion forum, etc.) outside of class time and addressing their questions in a timely manner
- Clearly identifying what the students will be evaluated on, and if possible, providing examples of test questions
- Providing personalized feedback when possible, for example, through comments on student assignments
- Developing and maintaining a group dynamic that is conducive to learning and that encourages respect for students and the professor
Moreover, research shows that the use of a mid-term evaluation can have a significant impact on the final student course evaluation, especially if the professor demonstrates an interest in the quality of teaching and makes some changes to the course in response to the feedback received from students in the mid-term evaluation.
Lastly, the specialists at the Teaching and Learning Support Service can meet with you in person or communicate with you remotely, in a confidential manner, to discuss strategies tailored to your individual situation.
Visit the Toolbox page for more strategies.
Impact of evaluation
Do the evaluations count for anything?
The main purpose of all questions is to obtain feedback from students on a course and a professor’s teaching. This information can help professors gauge their abilities and improve their teaching. It can also help other students learn about how a course was taught.
At the same time, three of the questions — tabulated in the A-Report — have a more specific purpose. They ask students to evaluate how well professors prepare for class, how well they convey the subject matter, and their general ability as a teacher. These criteria are formally included in the collective agreement that binds individual faculty members and the University. The results of the A-Report are scored on a five-point scale and can be considered by deans and department chairs when making career and professional advancement decisions.
Can I be rewarded for a good evaluation?
Yes. Professors may be nominated for various awards and scholarships if their teaching skills clearly and significantly exceed expectations. Each year, the University gives out Excellence in Education Prizes, the Distinguished University Professor Award and the Excellence in Teaching Award to highlight the work of exceptional educators and outstanding teaching. Also, professors may be nominated by their faculty to receive a faculty award for professor of the year.
In addition, there are provincial awards presented by organizations such as the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations, as well as national distinctions, such as the prestigious 3M Fellowship for Teaching Excellence. Positive evaluations may also play a role in a professor’s contract renewal for tenure-track positions, or contract renewals for part-time professors.
Can I be fired for a bad evaluation?
The answer depends on the status of the professor as either a part-time or regular full-time faculty member. Part-time professors are evaluated primarily on their teaching records, while full-time professors are evaluated on all aspects of their academic performance, including research, academic service and teaching.
Part-time professors who consistently get poor teaching evaluations can lose seniority points when they re-apply for a teaching job, which often means that these professors’ contracts will not be renewed.
In the case of regular professors, unsatisfactory evaluations may influence advancement opportunities, including eligibility for tenure. The summary of the answers to the three questions constituting the A-Report for the last three years of teaching for a given professor is compared to the results of his colleagues in the same faculty. A consistently poor evaluation record might raise questions about the course structure, delivery or the professor's ability and/or effort in teaching. Such findings may lead to denial of tenure and disciplinary action.
What does the University do about a bad evaluation?
If the dean has good reason to believe that the quality of a regular teacher's teaching is unsatisfactory, he or she may implement a direct peer review of teaching (Article 24.2.2 of the Collective Agreement of the APUO) and disciplinary measures can be put in place.
For a part-time professor, unsatisfactory teaching performance may result in a refusal of the request for contract renewal. In general, a cumulative average below 2.9/5.0 signals to administrators that an individual may require help with teaching skills.
What can I do to improve my teaching?
Evaluation comments provided by students may help instructors better understand weaknesses in their teaching styles. Professors may also benefit from visiting the Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS), which is dedicated to meeting the educational needs of all members of the University community.
Evaluation of a professor's teaching by a peer is another way to determine the nature and impact of any problems or weaknesses. Other available resources include teaching mentoring, faculty development programs, and group meetings to discuss teaching and learning.
Evaluation Periods
Fall 2020
November 23 to December 4
Winter 2021
March 29 to April 14