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Dartmouth College is replacing its paper-based course assessment process
with a web-based course assessment program. The new Online Course Assessment,
which will initially be in a pilot phase for the first few years, is designed
so that no one's identity may be tracked.
The questionnaire is available on the Banner Student Main Menu. Eventually,
by the end of the pilot phase, all students will go to that site and complete
the assessment for most courses. Off-campus, Independent Study, Honors,
Research and Thesis courses are excluded. During the pilot project some
departments/programs may ask students to complete a paper form in addition to
the web form.
Students are required to assess all courses before they can see grades
online for any courses using Banner Student. Professors will have access to
completed assessments for classes they taught only after they have turned in
all grades for the term.
What is Online Course Assessment?
- Course Assessment is a web-based system that allows students to assess
courses they have taken at Dartmouth College, the Thayer School of
Engineering, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Course
assessment is required for most courses. Summarized results are made available
to course instructors and the appropriate department/program chairs and
academic deans.
What does the assessment form look like?
- The course assessment form contains a standard set of questions that all
participating schools at Dartmouth have agreed upon. The questionnaire has
been under development in Arts & Sciences for the past two years. Click here to see a sample form.
What is the format of the assessment form?
The online assessment form is customized for the course being assessed. The
form has at least three sections and at most five sections. If the course has
an associated lab or discussion section, then there will be a fourth section
with a question about the lab or discussion section. If the course has multiple
instructors, then there will be a separate third section for each instructor.
If the department/program or instructor has requested additional questions,
then there will be a final section with the additional questions relevant to
the course. The sections are as follows:
- Student Background
- Course Design and Effectiveness
- Faculty
- Lab and/or Discussion. This section is only available if the course has an
associated lab or discussion group.
- Optional section for department/program or course specific questions.
Will the questions be the same for all of my
courses?
- Yes, all questions in the first four sections are identical. Some
departments/programs and instructors may add questions to the questionnaire,
which will appear in a final section.
Who came up with the questions on the assessment
form?
- In consultation with the chairs of departments/programs and members of the
Committees on Priorities, Instruction, and Faculty, members of the Student
Assembly, and members of the Graduate Student Council, DCAL, and senior
Dartmouth administrators, the Dean of the Faculty and Associate Deans developed
the questions and format for the questionnaire. All changes to the form are
subject to review and approval by the academic deans working in consultation
with the faculty.
Who is required to complete an online course
assessment?
- No one is required to complete an on-line course assessment. However,
to see your grades online immediately, you will need to submit the course
assessment form.
Why do I have to assess my courses?
- This process is designed to give us more complete, accurate and
confidential information about the quality of the courses and instruction being
offered at Dartmouth.
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