Common Student Questions

• How do students access the evaluations?

  Students can access evaluations using one of the following two options.

  1. Accessing evaluations through CANVAS
     • Go to CANVAS
     • Go to any course
     • Click on the UCR Course Evaluations link on the left-hand side of the course
     • This will take students to a portal with all of the current and active evaluations for the quarter 
  2. Following the link the email they received
     • Students will receive an email from UCR Course Evaluations 
     • Follow the unique link in the email
     • This will take students to a portal with all of the current evaluations for the quarter 
• Priority Registration Incentive - Spring 2026 Pilot

  For Spring 2026, if students complete all of their iEvals, they will receive priority registration among students with similar class standing for the Winter 2027 registration period. 

  • Why are we doing this?
    • Response rates for UCR's iEvals have been low for many years, which impacts the usefulness of student feedback both for helping to improve instruction and as a measure of teaching effectiveness. We are testing to see if providing this incentive will help to increase response rates.
  • What do students need to do?
    • Students need to complete all of their iEvals as they normally would. Completions are captured automatically and the incentive will be provided automatically to students.

  For questions, reach out to ievalcontact@ucr.edu.

• Are students required to complete iEvals?

  Completion of iEvals is not required, but we strongly encourage students to complete their iEvals. The feedback is valuable for the improvement of teaching and learning, and it is used in hiring, tenure, and promotion discussions.

• What are the Instructor Early-Term evaluations?

  The optional early-term evaluation is intended to produce a brief snapshot about certain foundational aspects of your course and to give you a chance to address any issues early in the term to better support student learning. Results are visible only to you and are not captured by the report that is automatically uploaded to eFile. Below are the questions just as they appear for students in the early-term survey:

  Course Foundations Check
  Each question in this section asks you about an element of a course that helps provide a framework for learning. These elements may be found in the syllabus, on Canvas, or in other course materials. Is each element present in at least one of these places? If you answer "no" or "unsure" for any of these, please elaborate on them in the comment box at the end of the survey. 

  • A clear description of what you should be able to do or know by the end of the course (learning outcomes).
  • A clear description of the grading system for the course.
  • Information on how to ask for help from the instructor (for example: office hours, email, Zoom appointments, etc).
  • A list of course topics.
  • Assignment due dates.
  • Guidelines for academic integrity.
  • Course materials (may include: readings, software, textbooks, recordings, and other resources).
  • Information on how to ask for accommodations and/or support from the university (for example: contact information for SDRC, CAPS, ARC, Title IX office, etc).
  • Were the above items compiled in an accessible location (for example: a document, a CANVAS page, or other format)?

   

  Lab or Fieldwork

  • Does this course include lab or fieldwork? Answer "no" if you are registered for a related lab or fieldwork under a separate course number.
  • Have you received instructions for taking appropriate safety measures in lab or field settings?

  Please provide any written feedback to the instructor in the box below. If you answered "no" or "unsure" to any questions in the first section, please elaborate on those answers here. 

   

  You can view the early-term survey in its entirety along with the question response options by clicking here.

• What are the Instructor End-of-Term evaluations?

  The required end-of-term evaluation runs towards the end of the quarter, and is focused on the implementation of best practices in teaching/learning in your course. In addition to questions about teaching/learning, it also asks the same brief questions as in the early-term evaluation to see if student views have changed. The results of the end-of-term evaluation are automatically uploaded to eFile at the end of every quarter. Below are the questions just as they appear for students in the early-term survey:

   

  Course Foundations Check
  Each question in this section asks you about an element of a course that helps provide a framework for learning. These elements may be found in the syllabus, on Canvas, or in other course materials. Is each element present in at least one of these places? If you answer "no" or "unsure" for any of these, please elaborate on them in the comment box at the end of the survey. 

  • A clear description of what you should be able to do or know by the end of the course (learning outcomes).
  • A clear description of the grading system for the course.
  • Information on how to ask for help from the instructor (for example: office hours, email, Zoom appointments, etc).
  • A list of course topics.
  • Assignment due dates.
  • Guidelines for academic integrity.
  • Course materials (may include: readings, software, textbooks, recordings, and other resources).
  • Information on how to ask for accommodations and/or support from the university (for example: contact information for SDRC, CAPS, ARC, Title IX office, etc).
  • Were the above items compiled in an accessible location (for example: a document, a CANVAS page, or other format)?

  What modifications, if any, could the instructor make to the elements above to benefit future students?

  Did the instructor announce changes to the structure of the course (for example: revised due dates, dropped assignments, etc) in a timely manner?

   

  Course Experiences
  Each question in this section asks you about a teaching practice related to course experiences that can be used to support student learning. The phrase “course experiences” refers to things like lectures, group work, discussions, activities, fieldwork, lab work, guest speakers, videos, readings, emails, office hours, discussion boards, etc., whether synchronous or asynchronous. 

  Did the instructor use each of these teaching practices?

  • Establish a clear connection between course experiences and what students should be able to do or know by the end of the course (learning outcomes)
  • Provide opportunities for student engagement during course experiences
  • Create a respectful learning environment
  • Be responsive to requests for help outside of class (for example: in office hours, scheduled appointments, emails, etc.)

  Did the instructor's use of these teaching practices contribute to your learning? Answer "not applicable" if a practice was never used by the instructor. 

  If any aspects of the instructor's approach to course experiences contributed to your learning in important ways, please share why. If any aspects did not contribute to your learning, or could have contributed more, please share what the instructor could do to improve or change their approach to better support future students’ learning. 

   

  Graded Work
  Each question in this section also asks you about a teaching practice related to graded work that can be used to support student learning. The phrase “graded work” refers to any graded course component. For example, exams, quizzes, projects, homework assignments, student presentations, performances, papers, etc. 

  Did the instructor use each of these teaching practices?

  • Provide directions for how to complete graded work
  • Connect graded work to what students should be able to do or know by the end of the course (learning outcomes)
  • Provide information about grading criteria and/or standards for how work was graded
  • Provide grades and/or feedback on graded work in time for students to monitor their performance throughout the course

  Did the instructor's use of these teaching practices contribute to your learning? Answer "not applicable" if a practice was never used by the instructor. 

  If any aspects of the instructor’s approach to graded work contributed to your learning in important ways, please share why. If any aspects did not contribute to your learning, or could have contributed more, please share what the instructor could do to improve or change their approach to better support future students’ learning.

  Please provide any additional written feedback to the instructor in the box below. 

   

  You can view the end-of-term survey in its entirety along with the question response options by clicking here. 

• What are the TA End-of-Term evaluations?

  The required end-of-term evaluation runs towards the end of the quarter, and is focused on the implementation of best practices in teaching/learning in your specific section. There are two separate evaluations, one for laboratory sections and one for discussion sections. You can view the end-of-term evaluation for discussion sections here and laboratory sections here. 

• What type of feedback can I provide?

  The evaluations are focused on the teaching and learning that occurs in your courses. While the feedback report to instructors is anonymous, students are expected to follow UCR's Standards of Conduct when providing written feedback. Responses alleged to be in violation of the Standards, including but not limited to offensive, discriminatory or harassing language, may be referred to Student Conduct for further review. 

  For more information about providing unbiased and helpful feedback, click here.

   

• What happens if I make a mistake on my iEvals?

  If you make a mistake on your iEvals, send a message to ievalcontact@ucr.edu. Make sure to do this before the close of the evaluations. 

• When do the evaluations run every quarter?

  The early-term evaluation is optional for instructors and only runs if the instructors choose to opt in. Students will only see these if the instructor opted in to the evaluation. It runs for one week, Monday through Friday, during the second week of the quarter. 

  The end-of-term evaluation is required to be run in most courses for instructors and TAs. During the fall, winter, and spring quarters, it runs for two weeks during weeks nine and ten of the quarter. During summer sessions, iEval is open on the last Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of each session.

• What is the history behind the creation of our Student Evaluations of Teaching?

  Old iEval

  In Fall 2006, UCR began to use the Senate approved UCR Faculty Instruction Evaluation Form. This form was the standard form that was used by the entire campus for instructor Student Evaluations of Teaching (SETs). It encompassed course information, self-reported academic behavior (like study time), instructor appraisal, course appraisal, department specific issues, and student comments. In Fall 2009, the UCR Academic Senate endorsed the campus move to online evaluations via iEval, which was the name of the IT system that implemented the evaluations every quarter. The Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and the Office of Instructional Development coordinated the transition.

   

  New iEval

  In February 2018, UCR's Academic Senate convened an ad hoc committee to review our Old iEval. The ad hoc committee's main priorities were to review policies, procedures, and mechanisms for how teaching is evaluated; establish new policies and procedures for accurate and reliable evaluation; and review iEval for its efficacy and recommend changes to maximize student participation and provide faculty with constructive feedback. 

  The ad hoc committee issued its report in 2021, at which time the Provost charged a joint Senate-administrative committee to implement the ad hoc committee's recommendations. The joint committee's work focused on producing a more equitable and useful tool for evaluation of teaching effectiveness and pedagogical improvement, and facilitating the submission of multiple forms of teaching effectiveness via eFile. The joint committee completed the bulk of its work in October 2023, including a round of Senate consultation that informed modifications to the new SET instrument. 

  Subsequently, all instructors were invited to participate in a pilot of the new SET in Spring 2024. Feedback from faculty and students who participated in the pilot (as well as from faculty who did not participate in the pilot) was collected and used to inform further adjustments to the SET and technology. An analysis of the feedback along with the joint committee's recommendations were included in a final report to the Senate.

  After their November 18, 2024 meeting, the Senate Executive Council voted to "endorse mandatory adoption of the new SET as a campus-wide replacement for the old iEval questions [and] usage of the new software."

  With further refinement of the SET, a second pilot of the new SET instrument was implemented in Spring 2025 along with the new Qualtrics-based software that will replace the old iEval technology. Unlike the first pilot, this second pilot did not include a round of feedback and modifications prior to campus-wide adoption in Fall 2025. 

• Why does my instructor evaluations still show as "To-Do"?

  Unfortunately, there is a glitch in the student portal where students see their list of course evaluations. One aspect of the evaluation system is the student portal where students can see a list of all of their evaluations, listed as “To-Do” and “Done”. Once a student completes an instructor evaluation, it is supposed to change from “To-Do” to “Done”, but there is a glitch in the system. Once the student leaves the page or closes the browser, the portal will reset the “Done” for the instructor evaluation back to “To-Do.” However, if the student clicks on the reset “To-Do”, it will inform the student that they have already completed the evaluation.

   

  This does not impact the data. Once a student submits an evaluation, it is recorded irrespective of what the student portal shows. If students need proof of completion of the instructor evaluation, make sure to take a screenshot immediately after completing the evaluation.