Course evaluations are open!
Fall 2024 deadlines:
- December 4 (condensed evaluation period)
- December 21 (default evaluation period)
Fall 2024 deadlines:
This page contains information on the structure of Mercury questionnaires (including required and optional components) as well as guidelines for designing questionnaires.
Course evaluation questionnaires use the following structure.
1. Required: Statement about the purposes, uses, utility, and mode of accessibility | |
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The following statements appear before students begin completing a course evaluation questionnaire. English"Subject to certain limitations, end-of-course evaluation results are to be accessible to the 91˿Ƶ community. A statistical summary of responses will be used:
Any written comments will be used to provide useful information (e.g., suggested improvements) to the instructor and Head of the academic unit but will not be available to the 91˿Ƶ community. French« Sous réserve de certaines restrictions, les résultats des évaluations de cours doivent être mis à la disposition de la communauté de l’Université 91˿Ƶ. Un résumé statistique des réponses sera utilisé :
Les commentaires écrits serviront à présenter des renseignements utiles (p. ex. améliorations proposées) à l’enseignant(e) et au directeur/directrice du département, mais ne seront pas mis à la disposition de la communauté de l’Université 91˿Ƶ. Les évaluations de cours sont entièrement anonymes. Les résultats sont remis à un(e) enseignant(e) seulement après que les notes finales du cours ont été présentées et approuvées. » |
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2. Required: Four Core Questions | |
The following four questions must be included in all questionnaires, in this order.
When applicable, the Academic Unit may replace the word “instructor” by another appropriate term, such as “teacher” or “lab coordinator." This part must include a space for students to provide written comments. |
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3. Optional: Faculty-Wide Questions | |
Faculties may choose to have Faculty-wide questions that appear on all course evaluations in the Faculty.
NOTE: If the total number of questions on the Faculty-wide questionnaire (including the 4 core questions) is less than 22, departments or Schools within the Faculty may choose to add additional questions, up to a maximum of 22. View information on designing questionnaires (recommended questions, comments, templates, language) |
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4. Optional: Department- or School-Wide Questions | |
Departments or Schools may add additional questions, provided the number of Faculty-wide questions is less than 18.
View information on designing questionnaires (recommended questions, comments, templates, language) |
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5. Required: Teaching Assistant Questions | |
Core questions 3 and 4 referring to Teaching Assistants rather than the instructor. Up to 3 questions related to Teaching Assistants.
NOTE: Questions related to Teaching Assistants do not count against the maximum of 25 questions. This part must include a space for students to provide written comments. |
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6. Optional: Instructor-Added Questions | |
Instructors may add up to three (3) questions to their course evaluations. Instructors will receive an email when the question submission period opens. |
When constructing questions for your unit’s questionnaire, keep in mind that students do not have access to the comments. Therefore, a question such as “The evaluation methods used in this course were appropriate” is difficult to interpret because without student comments, it is not possible to discern whether the evaluation methods were too easy or too difficult. View student guidelines for interpreting numerical results.
Resources, including a bank of recommended questions and guidelines for creating custom questions, are available to assist academic units and instructors in developing their questionnaires.
Need help developing your unit's questionnaire?
Contact Teaching and Learning Services for a consultation.
While this web page is accessible worldwide, 91˿Ƶ is on land which has served and continues to serve as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. Teaching and Learning Services acknowledges and thanks the diverse Indigenous peoples whose footsteps mark this territory on which peoples of the world now gather. This land acknowledgement is shared as a starting point to provide context for further learning and action.