Student Evaluations of Teaching – A Refresher for Chairs and Admins

Management of SETs is a complex process that requires 1) accurate information about student enrollment and instructor/TA assignments in MaineStreet, 2) input from units about exceptions needed to our standard policies, and 3) ongoing oversight by OIRA staff. The partnership between unit administration and OIRA is essential for a seamless experience for students and faculty. We wanted to share a few reminders to help ensure a smooth process this semester.

1. All courses are automatically included in the SET process as long as there are 3 or more students enrolled, and the course is not coded as Independent Study, Thesis or Travel Abroad (with subject ABD). 
2. If an exception is needed to add or remove a course or instructor from the process, department administrative personnel can make the request using forms on our website. 
3. It is important to keep faculty and TA assignment information up-to-date in MaineStreet. If assignments change please let the Office of Student Records know immediately.
4. Faculty and students are notified and reminded of important deadlines in the SET process via emails to their official UMS accounts. Students are also reminded to complete evaluations via a pop-up window when they login to Brightspace.
5. Faculty, chairs/directors and designated administrative personnel can access reports at any time via the Blue Portal, which is accessible via the campus portal LaunchPad.
6. Extensive resources to help support the SET process are available on the OIRA Online Evaluation Resources website.