Course evaluations are administered to students during the month when each course is scheduled to end, as specified within our Student Information System (i.e., PeopleSoft). At the back end, course evaluations are grouped into several administrations, which typically run from the first Monday of every month to the following Sunday (seven days total). During the administration period, a series of emails will be sent to both faculty and students, providing links to the survey.

Both faculty and students will receive email notifications prior to the administration of the course evaluation sequence.

When reviewing student feedback, it is important to approach it with an open mind and focus on improvement. Look for patterns or recurring themes in the comments, as these can highlight areas that may need attention. Consider the context of the feedback; for instance, comments from a particularly challenging course may be different than those from an introductory or General Education course. Remember that feedback is often subjective and can be influenced by many factors outside of your control. It may be beneficial to discuss the feedback with colleagues or a mentor to gain different perspectives.

Lastly, don’t be disheartened by negative comments; instead, view them as an opportunity for growth and development. Remember, the goal of course evaluations are to enhance your teaching methods and improve the learning experience for your students.

Students can access their course evaluations in several ways: 

1. By clicking on the link to any email communication sent from courseval@sl.on.ca. This will prompt students to log in to the Course Evaluation software using their SLC username and password (i.e., their single sign-on); 

2. by logging into Blackboard, under “My Blackboard”, students will see a Course Evaluation section; and by

3. using their SLC single sign-on to launch the Course Evaluation application by Anthology.

It’s important to encourage your students to evaluate each and every one of their courses in their Course Evaluation dashboard and not just the ones that they particularly like or dislike. When participation rates are low, you risk getting an inaccurate or biased sample of students’ responses and feedback, which may not accurately or completely represent the diversity of student opinions and experiences. It’s difficult for educators to make sense of a small or incomplete sample of student responses. 

Yes, students’ responses are confidential. As the course instructor, you will not be able to identify ‘who said what’ (unless a student accidentally discloses identifying information in their feedback). A summary report of your course evaluation results will only be generated and shared with you once: 

1. a minimum of two students have completed the online questionnaire; and 

2. after your final grades have been officially submitted. The results are presented in aggregate, which means you will receive a summary of your quantitative scores (numerical) and qualitative feedback (comments).

All human beings hold implicit biases, which are unconscious beliefs and mindsets about people and their capacities, that we learn over time from our families, our community, and the media (including social media). At SLC, we all have a role to play when it comes to encouraging and reminding students to continuously reflect upon and identify any prejudices or stereotypes that could influence the way we collaborate and communicate with others. As the instructor, we encourage you to remind students that course evaluations will have an impact on real people in our SLC community. To respond fairly, students need to take the opportunity to reflect on and isolate their own implicit biases about their educator’s gender, race, sexual identity, or religion; none of which should impact the quality of educational experiences provided in the classroom. 

 “Bias also likely exists to some degree in any evaluation system because it is designed and carried out by humans. All sources of evidence—student ratings, peer observations, instructor self-assessments, and peer/supervisor reviews—are therefore subject to bias. But evaluation can still be useful, provided the system is well designed, multiple sources of evidence are submitted, and possible sources of bias are recognized.” (Benton & Young, 2018, p. 11)

Accessing Course Evaluations

Faculty can access course evaluations through the following methods:

1. Directly through this link:  Faculty Home - Anthology (campuslabs.ca) ;

2. By clicking the Course Evaluations icon on the SLC.ME homepage;

3. Through the Course Evaluations links available on your main dashboard in Blackboard;

Technical Support

If you are having trouble accessing course evaluations, please contact the Anthology Course Evaluations support team directly at 1-716-270-0000 or by completing this form: Submit a request – Campus Labs Support (zendesk.com). 

If you would like to learn more about Course Evaluations, please review resources on the vendor's support portal: Course Evaluation Help Center (campuslabs.com) 

Further Questions?

If you have non-technical questions relating to Course Evaluations, please contact SLC's Course Evaluations team at courseval@sl.on.ca.

Technical Support

Students with problems accessing course evaluations should be directed to the Anthology Course Evaluations support team directly at 1-716-270-0000 or by completing this form: Submit a request – Campus Labs Support (zendesk.com). 

Additional Information

Students should also be encouraged to visit http://www.learnatslc.ca for additional information

If you are a Dean or Associate Dean and you require assistance with Course Evaluations, please contact SLC's Course Evaluations team directly at courseval@sl.on.ca.