Help for Students

 

Please contact askit@yorku.ca if you require technical assistance with the application.

Before contacting us for help, please look at the questions below in case your question has already been answered.

**Note: Please DO NOT copy and paste your answers for online evaluations from a Microsoft Word document. You will most likely get an error message because Word has special coding within it that will cause this error.

Frequently Asked Questions

Accessing and completing the evaluations

How do I access the online course evaluations system?

Visit http://courseevaluations.yorku.ca and use your Passport York credentials to log in to the system.

When can I access the online course evaluation questionnaires?

Three weeks prior to the end of classes in the Fall, Winter and Summer, course evaluations are created and linked to courses. Email invitations to complete evaluations will then be sent to you. Reminders are sent on a weekly basis to those who have not yet completed their evaluations.

Can I use my tablet or mobile device to complete my course evaluations?

Yes. All you need is an Internet connection and a web browser.

How long does it take to complete a course evaluation online?

The average time to complete an individual course evaluation depends on how many questions there are.  For those evaluations with just the Core Institutional Questions, it will be a few minutes.

Why should I complete my course evaluations?

You’ll become an active partner in making positive change at York. The information you provide helps future York students, course instructors and University administrators make important decisions. Instructors can use course evaluation data to reflect on what is and isn’t working in their courses, and to make improvements for future offerings of the course. Departments use course evaluation data when making decisions about hiring, course assignment, promotions and tenure.

What should I do if I don’t see all of my courses listed in the online course evaluations system?

Not all courses use the online course evaluation system: some instructional formats and courses with very small enrolments are excluded from the online evaluation process. Ask your course instructor for more information. If they confirm that the course evaluation is in fact being administered online, then send an email to askit@yorku.ca for technical assistance.

What should I do if the wrong instructors are listed for my courses?

You should complete the evaluation anyway, and contact the department the course is affiliated with to let them know about the listing problem as soon as possible.

Can instructors trace course evaluation responses back to me?

No. Your course evaluation response data is confidential. Responses to closed-ended items (such as rating scales) are reported in summary statistics, and responses to open-ended items (such as free-response questions) are reported without identifying information. In addition, courses with five or fewer enrolled students do not use these course evaluations.

Can instructors use course evaluation responses to determine final grades?

No. Not only is your course evaluation response data entirely confidential, but it is also not released to instructors until after the final grades for the course have been submitted. That means your final grade cannot be increased or decreased due to the responses you give on your course evaluations.

Can I change my responses after submitting them?

No. You can only complete and submit each evaluation once and you cannot change your responses after submission.

The deadline to complete my course evaluations has passed. Can I still submit my responses?

No. You can only complete and submit course evaluations until the posted deadline.

Core Institutional Questions

What are Core Institutional Questions (CIQs)?

The Core Institutional Questions were developed by a committee with representatives of the academic administration and the York University Faculty Association. The questions were tested with students in collaboration with the Institute for Social Research (ISR) at York.

Are the CIQs asking me to evaluate my instructor’s teaching ability?

No. The CIQs focus on the course as a structured learning experience rather than on individual instructors. Questionnaires used by the course faculty/department for course evaluations may focus instead on your feedback on teaching.

Are graduate course evaluations going to have the CIQs embedded in them as well?

Not currently.

When were CIQs first asked?

The CIQs were included in evaluation questionnaires starting March 2016 for Fall/Winter and Winter courses ending in April 2016.

How will the results of the CIQs be made available to students?

Results for the CIQs are made available to you through web pages designed specifically for this purpose. Important dates for evaluation periods and release of results can be found here: http://courseevaluations.yorku.ca/. Once the results are released, they can be found at http://onceciq.uit.yorku.ca/.

Note about CIQ results for FW2018 and Summer 2018: Due to the labour disruption during that academic year, not all courses ran evaluations. Therefore, results for the Core Institutional Questions for the 2018 academic year will not be published.