iEval

Common TA Questions

• What is the difference between the laboratory and discussion 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. 

• When do the evaluations run every quarter?

  The end-of-term evaluation is required. 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.

• How do I access my TA dashboards?

  Our new evaluation system allows TAs to interact with evaluation data in a dashboard environment. Take a look at the links to learn how to access and navigate the UCR Course Evaluations Dashboard. While the examples below demonstrate how to access an instructor dashboard, the process is the same for TA dashboards.

  • Logging In Guide and Video
  • Accessing your Dashboard Guide and Video
  • Navigating the Dashboard Guide and Video
• Do TAs have to use iEval?

  • Yes. TAs are required to use iEval as the Student Evaluation of Teaching system for any laboratory or discussion section that they are responsible for. 

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• What happens if a student makes an inappropriate comment in the evaluation?

  It is the policy of the Office of Evaluation and Assessment not to examine, alter or otherwise monitor the content of students' evaluations of individual instructors or TAs. There are two partial exceptions:

  1. If a student comment violates University policy with regards to harassment, a student may be subject to disciplinary action, by referral to the Student Conduct and Academic Integrity Programs. Egregiously inappropriate comments may also be removed from the list of comments on the course evaluation form generated for faculty and departments, with our without sanctions on the student who made them. 

  2. If an instructor discovers a student comment that is clearly addressed to another instructor in their most recent evaluations, these evaluations can be removed with approval of the department chair.

  If comments received fall into either of the above scenarios, please follow the procedure below:

  1. Instructor identifies the comment that they would like removed.
  2. Instructor decides on what they want to do with the comment. The options are:
     1. Remove comment only, but leave the student evaluation connected to it.
     2. Remove comment and student evaluation tied to it.
     3. Remove comment and student evaluation tied to it, but send it to SCAIP for review of violation of student code of conduct.
  3. Instructor contacts chair to share what they want to do and get approval. Instructor should copy and past the comment and cc ievalcontact@ucr.edu on the message.
  4. Chair discusses with instructor and collaboratively makes decision on next steps. Chair replies to instructor and cc's ievalcontact@ucr.edu on the reply message.

  If it is decided that the comment should be reported to SCAIP, the comment and/or evaluation will not removed immediately so that it is preserved for the SCAIP process. 

  Please contact ievalcontact@ucr.edu for more information. 

• Who has access to which dashboards?

  Instructors/Program Staff will have access to:

  • Early Term SET Dashboard
  • End of Term SET Dashboard

  Chairs will have access to:

  • End of Term SET Dashboard
  • End of Term TA Discussion Section Dashboard
  • End of Term TA Laboratory Section Dashboard

  Deans will have access to:

  • End of Term SET Dashboard

  TAs/GSAs will have access to:

  • End of Term TA Discussion Section Dashboard
  • End of Term TA Laboratory Section Dashboard

  Graduate Program Staff will have access to:

  • End of Term TA Discussion Section Dashboard
  • End of Term TA Laboratory Section Dashboard
• What is the history of 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. 

• How can you improve iEval response rates?

  Students are reminded through email when evaluations are open for them to complete, and they receive automatic email reminders throughout the open period. In addition, students are also able to provide by following the Student Evaluations link in any of their CANVAS courses. To increase responses rates, instructors and TAs can do the following:

  • Explain the importance of Student Evaluations Teaching to you as an instructor/TA and how you use the feedback provided.
  • Remind students to complete their course evaluations with class reminders, emails, and announcement on CANVAS.
  • Provide time at the end of one of your courses for students to complete their evaluation.