Student Ratings of Instruction

Completing end-of-course surveys gives students an opportunity to actively contribute to the improvement of their educational experience. Champlain College developed the VOICE (Valuable Observations and Insights on your Course Experience) survey in 2024 to more directly reflect our preferred pedagogies and learning outcomes (compared to the standardized benchmark instruments used in the past).

The VOICE surveys, for campus-based and CCO courses, ask students to reflect on their experience related to course design, feedback, learning, class climate, and instruction.

Students, faculty, and administrators access the survey platform (Watermark’s EvalKit) through this link: https://champlain.evaluationkit.com/.

The Benefits of Student Ratings of Instruction Surveys
Here are some key points to highlight the importance and benefits of participating in course evaluation surveys:

Improving Teaching Quality
- Course evaluations provide valuable feedback to instructors about their teaching methods, effectiveness, and overall course structure.
- Honest and constructive feedback helps instructors identify areas for improvement and refine their teaching techniques.
Enhancing Learning Experience
- By expressing opinions on the course content, materials, and instructional approaches, students contribute to the ongoing effort to enhance the overall learning experience.
- Feedback helps educators understand what works well and what might need adjustment to better meet students’ needs.
Curriculum Development
- Institutions use course evaluation data to assess the effectiveness of the curriculum. This information is crucial for making informed decisions about potential updates or changes to the course content.
Accountability and Transparency
- Completing course evaluations holds instructors and institutions accountable for the quality of education they provide.
- It promotes transparency by allowing students to voice their opinions, ensuring that their concerns are acknowledged and addressed.
Student Empowerment
- Participation in course evaluations empowers students to actively contribute to the improvement of their educational environment.
- It fosters a sense of responsibility and engagement in the learning process.
Informed Decision-Making
- Prospective students often consider course evaluations when choosing classes and instructors. By providing feedback, current students assist future ones in making informed decisions about their academic choices.
Faculty Development
- Constructive feedback from course evaluations is instrumental in faculty development initiatives. It helps educators identify their strengths and areas for growth, ultimately contributing to their professional advancement.
Institutional Improvement
- Aggregated course evaluation data can be used at the institutional level to identify trends, strengths, and weaknesses across various departments or programs.
- This information guides strategic planning and resource allocation to enhance the overall quality of education.
Cultivating a Feedback Culture
- Participating in course evaluations helps foster a culture of continuous improvement within the academic community.
- It encourages open communication between students and educators, promoting a collaborative learning environment.

For Faculty: How to Administer the VOICE Survey

CCO Undergraduate & Graduate Courses

Champlain Online students are required to take the VOICE survey on their own during a two-week window that falls at the end of the term. Students will be notified of the availability of the survey through email and Canvas reminders, and they will have access to the survey through a module built into the Canvas course by eLearning. In addition to the survey link, the module includes a “quiz” that students must take to signal that they have completed the survey. Students receive a 1% grade increase through the Canvas gradebook upon completion of the quiz. Faculty should encourage students to participate. A high level of participation will ensure that the results are useful and meaningful to improving teaching and learning.
On-Campus Courses

Faculty are required to offer students the opportunity to take the VOICE survey in class during the two-week open-survey period that falls at about weeks 12-13 in a 15-week semester. Students will need access to a computer, tablet, or mobile phone in order to take the survey in the classroom. During the first 20 minutes of a class session that falls within the designated two-week period, the instructor reads (or improvises on) the in-class instructions, points students to the survey url in Canvas, and asks them to take the survey. The instructor leaves the room while students are completing the survey. Instructions are available on how to plan ahead for administration of the VOICE survey in the classroom. After asking students to complete the survey, faculty can log into the survey platform to check the response rate, and, if the response rate is low, encourage students to log back in. A high level of participation will ensure that the results are useful and meaningful to improving teaching and learning.
How to Talk to Students About the VOICE Survey
Here are some ways to mitigate student concerns and improve student participation:

Am I safe to comment truthfully?
- I will leave the room while you complete the surveys.
- Surveys are anonymous.
- Results not available to me (faculty) until after grades are turned in.
What happens with the results?
- The College uses these results for improving courses and programs, and also to make personnel decisions.
- I use these results to improve my teaching, make my classes better, and increase student learning.
What kind of feedback is helpful?
- Give honest and accurate feedback specific to each question.
- Even if you like me and this course, I don’t do everything well or frequently, so don’t give me all “fives.” And if you don’t like me or the class, remember that I don’t do everything poorly.
- Written comments are particularly helpful for me, just like they are for you when I provide feedback on your work.

For Students: Why Participate in the VOICE Survey?

Students have a comprehensive view of how their teachers educate and motivate and are therefore uniquely situated to provide actionable feedback on teaching and learning. Student feedback contributes in an important way to the ongoing effort to enhance the learning experience by pointing out where to make improvements to course design and content, and promote the teaching practices that work best. Learning to make and share constructive assessments are important skills to have in civic life and in any profession.

NOTE: The VOICE survey is anonymous. Faculty will receive course reports only after grades have been submitted.

CCO Students

Please contact your instructor if you have any issues with the extra point in Canvas. Note that you will not see the extra point until all course assignments have been graded.

The system is set to automatically create reminders in Canvas. Once your surveys have been completed you will no longer receive these reminder messages.
Campus-based Students

Check with your instructors to see when they are setting aside time in class to complete the survey. Any device with a wireless internet connection (smartphone, iPad, tablet, laptop, etc.) can access the survey via the survey portal login or through your Canvas course. The system is set to automatically create reminders in Canvas as well as email reminders. Once your surveys have been completed you will no longer receive these reminder messages.

What Happens to the VOICE Survey Results?

After grades have been posted, faculty receive a report that summarizes student feedback for each individual course. These reports also are available to Deans and Program Directors and are consulted in hiring, professional development, and promotion decisions.

Aggregated data, which combines student ratings from multiple courses, is analyzed to assess structural strengths and weaknesses in courses and programs.

Student Ratings of Instruction