Spring Break
SOTE surveys may be administered online
Kimberly Lien
Issue date: 3/21/07 Section: News
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The Student Opinion of Teaching Effectiveness - better known as SOTEs - could soon become a paperless process.
According an Academic Senate resolution, the efficacy of converting the student evaluation process into an online format should be researched and reviewed before any action takes place.
In a mass e-mail sent out to all San Jose State University students by justice studies professor Steven Lee, students were asked to participate in an online survey that would evaluate whether or not they would consider completing an online form to evaluate their professors at the end of every semester.
"No," said sophomore Will Mizutani. "I'd be too lazy."
Mizutani is an undeclared major. He said that if the evaluations would continue to be handed out in classes, then he would fill them out.
Currently, the process is conducted in the classroom during the last 10 days of instruction.
Professors are not allowed in the classroom at the time students fill out the evaluations, and the forms are handed out, collected and deposited by students.
The Student Evaluation Review Board, which Lee chairs, was commissioned by the Academic Senate to evaluate the move of student evaluations to an online format.
One of the concerns - with putting any sort of form for students to fill out online - is how safe and confidential submissions would be kept.
"It's risky about who's actually filling out the forms," said Mona Lynch, justice studies department chair.
There would be no way to monitor who fills out or submits evaluations if they were online, Lynch said.
Lynch was also concerned about the possibility of tampering and insincere evaluations.
"It might be used as a weapon against teachers," Lynch said. "Making it into a joke. On a Saturday night, a group of students could get together and write bad evaluations about a teacher they don't like."
Mizutani said one of the biggest factors that would prevent him from filling out a student evaluation online would be apathy.
According an Academic Senate resolution, the efficacy of converting the student evaluation process into an online format should be researched and reviewed before any action takes place.
In a mass e-mail sent out to all San Jose State University students by justice studies professor Steven Lee, students were asked to participate in an online survey that would evaluate whether or not they would consider completing an online form to evaluate their professors at the end of every semester.
"No," said sophomore Will Mizutani. "I'd be too lazy."
Mizutani is an undeclared major. He said that if the evaluations would continue to be handed out in classes, then he would fill them out.
Currently, the process is conducted in the classroom during the last 10 days of instruction.
Professors are not allowed in the classroom at the time students fill out the evaluations, and the forms are handed out, collected and deposited by students.
The Student Evaluation Review Board, which Lee chairs, was commissioned by the Academic Senate to evaluate the move of student evaluations to an online format.
One of the concerns - with putting any sort of form for students to fill out online - is how safe and confidential submissions would be kept.
"It's risky about who's actually filling out the forms," said Mona Lynch, justice studies department chair.
There would be no way to monitor who fills out or submits evaluations if they were online, Lynch said.
Lynch was also concerned about the possibility of tampering and insincere evaluations.
"It might be used as a weapon against teachers," Lynch said. "Making it into a joke. On a Saturday night, a group of students could get together and write bad evaluations about a teacher they don't like."
Mizutani said one of the biggest factors that would prevent him from filling out a student evaluation online would be apathy.
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