By Alisha Steere
Despite successful beta testing, teacher evaluations have not made it to the Web.
For now, students will still have to fill out the evaluations with good old paper and pencils.
Last April BYU tested a new on-line system of obtaining teacher evaluations. The testing lasted for a three-week period and targeted several classes and professors.
Bud Wood, testing services manager said a decision about the future of student ratings was suppose to be made last spring or summer.
Woods said he worked on the online system and said that the beta testing turned out fine. The process is now on hold and waiting for administrative approval.
“It’s not exactly on hold, we are still working on it,” said Richard N. Williams, assistant to the associate academic VP for Faculty.
Williams said there were still two issues that needed to be addressed before the university would implement the on-line evaluations.
First, the actual questions were being evaluated and edited.
Williams said he and others have been assessing whether the evaluation questions were valid and produced the type of information they were seeking.
Second, the response rate during beta testing was lower then paper and pencil forms.
Williams said ideas were still being discussed to bring the response rate up and keep the sampling valid.
Williams said the idea to implement an on-line teacher evaluation system was brought up two or three years ago.
Williams also aid that motivation for the system has been the Universities desire to move toward an electronic campus.
Costs are also a major driving force behind the on-line system.
Williams said that the on-line system was much cheaper then the traditional form and is a motivator for seeing the system implemented.
Students involved in the Beta testing said they enjoyed the convenience.
Joanna Duke, 20, a junior from San Francisco majoring in psychology said in a news story last year that her experience with the new system was positive.
“I like it a lot better because the in-class evaluations get so annoying all the time. I’d rather do it on a computer.” Duke said.
