Frequently Asked Questions for Faculty
General SET Information
All undergraduate and graduate students at UD will complete their teaching evaluations online. The university has contracted with a company called Anthology Course Evaluations (formerly referred to as Course Eval that will conduct the evaluations online and process the results for instructors to view. UD, however, will retain ownership of the data.
The SET instrument consists of eight questions asking for student evaluation of teaching practices shown by research to impact student learning. There are also four open-ended questions asking students to reflect on their experiences in the course. You can download a copy of the SET items below and another copy for download is available on the overview page.
These items were developed through an extensive literature review, expert consultation, and rigorous psychometric testing. They are designed to reflect four key factors associated with student learning: instructor preparation and organization, class learning environment, student-teacher relationship, and outcomes for the class.
Check out the SET Instrument Items PDF
The eight core Likert-type prompts and four open-ended questions will be uniform across the University. During the first two years of implementation, Deans may add a limited number of additional questions. The School of Engineering and the School of Business Administration have decided to include additional questions.
For the first two years of implementation, only Deans will be able to add questions to the SET instrument. Policy will evolve based on experience over the first two years.
Currently this service is not be available. However, there is a good alternative. You can use the polling instrument available through your course Isidore site to obtain additional information regarding the individual courses you teach. LTC staff can assist you with this.
Information regarding SET can be found on the SET website or you can reach out to the Ryan C. Harris Learning Teaching Center with questions. The Academic Senate charged the Learning Teaching Center with implementing and supporting the new SET procedures.
SET for Faculty
Yes, current practice concerning student anonymity has not changed. Students’ login is required to authenticate their course enrollment and to prevent multiple responses, but their responses are anonymous.
Delivering SET
Students complete teaching evaluations for a period starting ten calendar days prior to the last day of class each semester. The survey will be closed to student access after the last day of classes each term.
Email messages with instructions on how to complete SET will be sent to students in your classes beginning ten days prior to the last day of classes. The messages will be automatically generated by Anthology Course Evaluations from rosters maintained in Banner.
Yes. Anthology Course Evaluations will send each student a link to a separate SET instrument for each class he/she is taking each term. The student will click on the course name and number to gain access to the SET instrument for that class.
There may be certain classes excluded from SET - for example independent study, thesis, or dissertations, internships, etc. Classes with enrollment of two or fewer students will be excluded to protect student anonymity.
SET is now designed for students to complete online outside of class, however, students can complete SET in class with laptops, smart phones, or tablet computers using standard web browsers connected to the Internet. You must provide students ample time to complete the evaluations at the beginning of a class period and you cannot be in the room as they complete SET. SET must take place during the last ten calendar days prior to the last day of class.
Research shows that conducting SET in class usually yields a higher response rate. It also allows you to control the environment in which students respond to the questions. However, taking SET outside of class frees up class time to focus on course content. It also gives students the opportunity to spend as much time as they need to complete the instrument. Some research indicates that the students’ written responses are more detailed and more reflective when done outside of class.
If you do SET in class, you should allow sufficient time at the beginning of class for students to complete the instrument. In addition, you are not permitted to be in the room when students respond. You will need an impartial proctor such as a colleague, department staff, or trusted student to conduct SET.
Yes. A list of suggestions for improving student response rates to SET is located at Increasing Student Response Rates
You can. Doing so will improve the response rate for your class. During the ten-day period students can complete SET, Anthology Course Evaluations will also send email reminders to students who have yet to complete the instrument.
Yes. You will be able to see how many students have completed the instrument, but you will not be able to identify who they are. Visit the SET website and login at https://udayton.edu/ltc/set/
No. You will be able to see how many students have completed the SET instrument but will not have access to the results during the ten-day period students have to complete the evaluation.
No. As stipulated by the Senate, no incentives (positive or negative) will be used to encourage students to complete the SET instrument. This policy is consistent with current practice.
Yes. The students simply needs to click "save progress and return" at the bottom of the survey. Their responses will be there when they return to complete the survey.
Yes. Students can access the SET instrument and change their responses at any point during the ten-day period for SET. After the last day of classes, students cannot change any of their responses on the SET instrument. Completed surveys are found by students under a link labeled "completed surveys".
Students experiencing problems in completing the online SET can call the UDit Service Center at 937-229-3888 or send an email to itservicecenter@udayton.edu Assistance for instructors is available through the Learning Teaching Center. E-mail at set@udayton.edu.
Obtaining and Interpreting SET Result Reports
SET results (also known as “reports”) will be available to instructors 24 hours after final grades are officially posted. Instructors will be notified by email that the reports are ready to be viewed from the Anthology Course Evaluations web site.
You will receive the numerical results of SET for each class you teach in addition to the department average for each question. All of the responses to the open-ended questions in the classes you teach will be included as well.
Yes. Anthology Course Evaluations makes this service available. You can print the reports from your web browser or save the report locally on your computer.
Current practice will not change: you, your Chair, your Dean, and others authorized by department and unit bylaws (promotion and tenure committees, for example) will have access to your SET results.
This decision rests with your Dean and/or your unit’s bylaws.
Help will be available through the Learning Teaching Center. Online, resources tied to each of the core eight prompts are available at Resources Tied to SET Prompts. To make an appointment to connect with a SET faculty consultant concerning results, contact set@udayton.edu.
Yes. Anthology Course Evaluations provides this service, but students need to be reminded to evaluate each teacher separately.
Questions Concerning the SET Instrument
In 2012, an ad hoc SET Committee was charged by the Academic Senate to examine current SET practices and to recommend changes in light of current best practice and research on effective teaching strategies. In 2013, the SET Committee’s report and recommendations were delivered to the Senate and several Senate subcommittees began work to establish an implementation plan. In 2014, the Senate voted to accept the new SET policy and implementation plan.
Yes. Between Summer, 2012 and Summer, 2013, the SET instrument was piloted four times in courses taught by UD instructors. During the pilot period, instructors, chairs, and students were asked to comment on and evaluate both the instrument and the experience of completing it online.
Yes. Two outside experts reviewed various drafts of the SET proposal. Both endorsed the recommendations offered by the SET Committee and offered constructive criticism to improve the wording of SET items or streamline the SET process.