Request a questionnaire with Otago inFORM and read how to administer a questionnaire.
The promotions policy expects you to provide evidence of the quality of all your significant teaching responsibilities for the three full years prior to your promotion application (see also the Otago Teaching Profile). For this purpose, six teacher-specific questions have been designed for inclusion in your evaluation questionnaire:
- How organised have you found [teacher's name]'s contribution to this course? (Well organised - Disorganised)
- How would you rate [teacher's name]'s ability to communicate ideas and information? (Excellent - Poor)
- How much has [teacher's name] stimulated your interest in the subject? (Very much - Not at all)
- How would you describe [teacher's name]'s attitude toward students in this course? (Very helpful - Not at all helpful)
- Overall, how effective have you found [teacher's name] in teaching this course? (Very effective - Not at all effective)
- Any other comments about [teacher's name]'s teaching?
Your evaluation questionnaire can include just these six 'teacher core' questions or any combination of 'teacher core', and other questions.
Individual teacher and other reports
If your questionnaire includes the 'teacher core' questions, you will receive two reports: the individual teacher summary report, which summarises just the five 'teacher core' rating questions (not question 6), and a report summarising all six of the 'teacher core' questions and any other questions that you included.
Since 2020, individual teacher summary reports have added metrics for both 'teacher core' question 5 (Overall, how effective have you found [teacher's name] in teaching this course?) and response rates. This document explains the additional metrics:
Additional teacher report metrics (2020)
Different reporting scenarios:
| Questions selected | Reports generated |
|---|---|
| 'Teacher core' only | (1) Individual teacher summary of the five 'teacher core' rating questions and (2) summary of all six 'teacher core' questions |
| 'Teacher core' plus other questions | (1) Individual teacher summary of the five 'teacher core' rating questions and (2) summary of all questions (including the 'teacher core') |
| No 'teacher core' questions | (1) Summary of all questions |
Confidentiality policy for individual teacher questions
Each time a set of 'teacher core' questions is processed, an annualised, individual summary report is sent to the teacher named in the evaluation and their relevant dean/head of department. In rare situations of potential impropriety, we may seek advice that includes releasing results to the Director of QAU and relevant PVCs/DVCs. Student feedback is also aggregated (e.g. at departmental and divisional levels) and shared with the wider university to identify and respond to common threads in student opinions.
If you are a candidate for promotion, you will normally need to submit the 'Evaluations of teaching: summary data' reports with your application. You may also need these reports for formal appraisals. CEDI staff are available to assist you with the interpretation of your results or to design a plan for improvement.
If you wish us to generate teacher questions for another person or/and you wish us to release the results to a third party (other than the relevant dean/department head), we will need the named teacher's authority to do so. Typically an email from the named teacher will suffice. Alternatively, there is an authority form on the Forms and resources page.
Contact
Evaluation office
Tel +64 3 479 7581
Email evaluation@otago.ac.nz