Administration and Staff Information for Blue Course Evaluations

Course evaluations for the Fall and Spring semesters are conducted during the last three weeks of the term before study week. Classes that do not follow the regular academic calendar will have their evaluations scheduled according to their meeting dates in MyUNLV. After evaluations have been open for two weeks, content to that particular class will be blocked in WebCampus/Canvas until the student submits the corresponding evaluation, opts out of completing the evaluation, or the evaluation expires.

Evaluations during the summer terms are not mandatory. Like the regular semester, evaluation dates will be determined according to the class meeting dates in MyUNLV for any classes included on the evaluation calendar. Course content blocking does not occur during Summer term.

All evaluations close at 11:59PM PST/PDT (UNLV's local time), and students must submit their responses before the deadline to be included on the aggregated reports distributed to the instructors and departments at the end of the evaluation cycle. Evaluations will not be conducted for classes having grades already posted in MyUNLV.

All sections of organized instruction are required to be evaluated during the Fall and Spring semesters, and participation is optional during the Summer sessions. Close to the start of each evaluation cycle, the Course Evaluation Coordinator will send an email with important information for the upcoming evaluation cycle, which will include the evaluation dates for regularly scheduled classes and details regarding any changes to the course evaluation process.

Data from MyUNLV is uploaded to Blue. This data includes which classes are being offered, instructor assignments, and student enrollment. A class must have a primary instructor assigned in MyUNLV to populate in Blue. Regardless of instructor type, whoever is regularly interacting with students in the class should be listed as the primary instructor. Multiple instructors may be assigned as a primary instructor for team teaching situations. If the incorrect instructor is listed as teaching a course, the correction must be made in MyUNLV first, and then the Course Evaluation Team notified of the change so that a data upload can be scheduled to update Blue. If evaluations have already opened to students, students will be notified of the instructor change and instructed to return to their evaluation to complete the new instructor section.

For evaluations during the regular semesters, the Course Evaluation Coordinator will send a list of classes with their assigned instructors in Blue to the designated contact for each academic unit at the start of the semester. Each area is responsible for reviewing the list and informing the Course Evaluation Team of any sections of individualized instruction (e.g., independent studies, thesis, internships) that should be excluded from the course evaluation process, and of any missing sections or instructor changes.

For evaluations during the summer sessions, the academic units will need to provide a list of which classes they would like included on the evaluation calendar. If a department decides not to schedule summer evaluations but an instructor would like evaluations for their class(es), the instructor should contact the Course Evaluation Team to have their classes added to the evaluation calendar.

The dates for regularly scheduled evaluations (e.g. Fall, Spring, SU1, SU2 and SU3) are shared with the academic units before the start of each evaluation cycle. Irregularly scheduled classes (e.g. DYN or mid-semester) will have their evaluation dates determined in accordance to their meeting dates in MyUNLV.

After the start of the term, instructors and supervisors can verify the evaluation dates of their classes in Blue. To check the evaluation dates and status, use the following steps:

• Go to the Blue Homepage and enter your ACE credentials
• After logging in you will see "Subject Management" in the middle left of the screen, and "My Active Tasks" under the "Task Progress Bar" (Note: This feature applicable to students but not instructors or supervisors, who do not have any actual tasks to complete). In the "My Active Tasks" section, you will see each of your classes to be evaluated during the current evaluation cycle with its deadline listed to the right.
• To see the start date, click on "Subject Management", or either the class name or "Start Now" next to the class name in "My Active Tasks" section, and a new window will open, which will also show the class status (e.g. "ready" = scheduled to be evaluated or "opted out" = not scheduled to be evaluated). If Subject Management is selected, all of the classes assigned will be listed and the search field and filters can be used to look at specific sections. Each one will include "Evaluation is set to start on...". If either the class or "Start Now" is selected from the My Active Task section, a new window will open showing just that class, instead of all of the classes with Subject Management. NEVER select the "I have finished all my tasks, please stop sending reminders". This action can not be undone and will prevent any future notifications about that class's open evaluations from being sent to the instructor.

Course evaluations are automatically generated for regularly enrolled students earning a grade for the class. While the evaluation window is open, any auditing students that would like to complete a course evaluation may contact the Course Evaluation Team, who will be happy to create one by student request. Students must be enrolled in the class in MyUNLV to be able to complete a course evaluation.

Students are able to access their course evaluations with the following methods:

• Email: When evaluations open, students will receive an email from unlvevals@unlv.nevada.edu with a link to their course survey. Reminders emailed to students during the evaluation window will also contain this link.
• WebCampus/Canvas: After logging into WebCampus, students should see a popup message with a link to their open evaluations. Course evaluations can also be accessed in announcements, on their calendar and "Course Evaluations" from their WebCampus account profile page. (Please note that this option may not be displayed on certain devices, like a mobile phone.) If the instructor has added "Course Evaluations" to their WebCampus course page, students will also be able to use this link to access their course evaluations.
• Blue: Log into Blue Homepage with ACE credentials
  • Open evaluations will be listed in the "My Active Tasks" section, and can be accessed by clicking on the class name or "Start Now" next to the class name.
  • The Task Progress bar on the homepage will update as course evaluations are completed
• MyUNLV: Students may access their course evaluations through MyUNLV with the following steps:
  • Log into MyUNLV
  • From the Student Homepage select Resources
  • In the menu on the left, select Course Evaluation
  • Be sure pop-up blockers are disabled
  • Select the Course Evaluation link
  • A new window will open showing the classes with open evaluations

Evaluations do not need to be completed in one sitting. While the evaluation window is open, students may save their responses at any time and return to their evaluation when it is more convenient. They may also edit their submitted evaluations by returning to their evaluations by using any of the methods used to access an evaluation. They should be sure to save or resubmit their evaluation to ensure that their revisions will be included on the instructor's report at the end of the term. As a reminder, course evaluations must be submitted before the deadline. No changes, even if the evaluation was in progress, or extensions are permitted after the evaluation deadline.

Students are notified by email whenever they have open course evaluations, and will receive at least two email reminders from unlvevals@unlv.nevada.edu. The number of email reminders will vary according to the length of the evaluation window, but they will always receive a final reminder on the day that their evaluation closes. Email reminders contain a link to the open evaluations and are not sent to students who have submitted their course evaluations.

In addition to the email reminders, students will also see a popup window each time they log into WebCampus/Canvas while they have open evaluations. Course evaluation deadlines are included on the calendar, and students may also receive announcements in WebCampus/Canvas. The notifications, calendar entries and announcements will all include links to the students' open evaluations. Please note that any WebCampus student announcements received by an instructor will not have a valid link to the course evaluation. Course evaluations and corresponding links are specific to the enrolled student and are not created for or accessible by the instructor.

Instructors are encouraged to remind their students and allow time during class if possible for course evaluations. The instructor should always step out of the room during the time designated for students to do their course evaluations. They can also resend the open evaluation notification to any students that haven't yet submitted their course evaluation. To do so, instructors will need to do the following:

• Log into Blue and go to their Subject Management page (see directions in How do I know when my classes will be evaluated? section above)
• Click on the "..." (More Options) in the bottom right of the desired class tile.
• Select "View Invitees", which will show a list of the students receiving the course evaluation, but not who has submitted one. This information is not released outside of the Office of Decision Support.
• At the bottom of the student list is a "Resend invitation emails to all raters who have not yet submitted" button. Open evaluation notifications will be resent whenever an instructor clicks on this button.

After course evaluations have been open for two weeks or longer during the regular Fall and Spring semesters, the corresponding course content in WebCampus/Canvas will not be accessible until the student completes their evaluation, opts out of their evaluation, or the evaluation expires. Only courses with an evaluation window exceeding two weeks will be impacted by course content blocking.

If content blocking goes into effect, students will see a notification message upon clicking on the course in WebCampus/Canvas stating that they need to complete the course evaluation to proceed. They will regain access to the course content soon after they complete the course evaluation. If they decide to opt out of that evaluation, access will return after Canvas and Blue's daily data sync.

Students have the option to exclude themselves from the course evaluation process during the regular Fall or Spring semesters. If a student decides to opt out of evaluating a class, they will no longer receive email communications or reminders to complete that particular evaluation.

There are three methods for students to opt out of a course evaluation. If there is more than one open evaluation, students will see an opt out option next to each of their course evaluations after clicking on the emailed "Evaluate My Courses Now" link. An "opt out" button is also included on each page of the course evaluation questionnaire after the introductory message. Students may also opt out from the Blue Homepage. After logging in with their ACE credentials, students will see their open evaluations listed in the "My Active Tasks" sections. From here, students may click on the course evaluation name or "Start Now" to open their evaluation, or click on "..." next to "Start Now" and then select "Opt out of this survey". Students should be able to opt back in any opted out evaluations from the class list page reached by the emailed link or in Blue.

Please note that opting out of a course evaluation may not be reflected in WebCampus/Canvas until a data sync with Blue is completed. Data syncs are scheduled daily at 5am.

Supervisors should be notified by an email from unlvevals@unlv.nevada.edu whenever evaluations open in their area, so multiple emails will be sent if an area has both regularly scheduled and DYN scheduled classes as these classes will have different evaluation windows.

Supervisors can monitor their response rates in Blue and MyUNLV. The emailed notification will include links to all of these options, and directions for each method are below:

• Blue:
  • Log into Blue Homepage with ACE credentials
  • Select "Response rate monitor" from left side of the page. A new window will open showing a dashboard of the classes being evaluated this term.
  • Select "Subject Management" from the left side of the page. A new window will open showing the all of the classes assigned will be listed and the search field and filters can be used to look at specific sections. Classes with open evaluations will have "Live" status.
  • Click on any of the classes listed in the "My Active Tasks" section or on or "Start Now" next to the class name after evaluations have opened. A new window will open showing the current response rates for that class.
• MyUNLV:
  • Log into MyUNLV with your ACE credentials
  • From the Faculty Homepage, select "Faculty Resources"
  • From the left-hand menu, select "Course Evaluation"
  • Make sure that popup blockers are disabled
  • Select "Faculty Course Evaluation"
  • A new window should open showing the response rates of the evaluated classes.

Evaluation reports will be made available to faculty and departments no sooner than a week after grades are due to the Registrar's Office for the term. Note that all summer sessions are part of the same evaluation cycle, so reports will be distributed after the conclusion of SU3. Once course evaluation reports have been generated and published, faculty will receive an email notification link to the most current reports. These reports, along with previous reports from courses evaluated using the Blue platform will also be available in both Blue and MyUNLV. Even though it is possible to monitor response rates in WebCampus/Canvas, course evaluation reports are not accessed in that platform. Please note that a minimum of 3 evaluations must be submitted by students for a report to be generated for that class. Courses that do not meet this requirement will have "not met" in the Threshold Status column of their report page.

In addition to the individual instructor reports, supervisors will be able to view aggregated department reports and export reports, which is a spreadsheet showing the submitted responses for multiple choice questions for all of their evaluated classes. The latter report can be used to view an unweighted overall mean and to perform additional analysis. The overall mean listed on individual instructor reports is the average of the course and instructor item averages, which are calculated as the average of each question's responses. Some areas may have additional reports available. To access reports:

• Blue
  • Go to the Blue Homepage
  • Select "Supervisor" from the dropdown menu
  • Enter your NSHE ID as the login ID
  • Enter your password. If you have never logged in before click or forgot your password on "Forgot your password?" below the credentials box for a temporary password
  • After logging in, scroll to the bottom half of the homepage to the Reports section, which is immediately below the Tasks section
• MyUNLV
  • Log into MyUNLV
  • From the Faculty Homepage, select "Faculty Resources"
  • From the left-hand menu, select "Course Evaluation"
  • Make sure that popup blockers are disabled
  • Select "Faculty Report"
  • A new window should open with links to view or download your course evaluation reports

Please contact the Course Evaluation Coordinator at unlvevals@unlv.nevada.edu.