Evaluate your units

Towards the end of each semester the University asks all students to complete unit evaluations about their course. For some longer units or year long units you may be asked to evaluate the unit twice. This is your opportunity to provide anonymous feedback about the curriculum, teaching and assessment for each of your units. This helps us to know what works well and what we could improve.

Unit evaluations will allow you to give detailed comments on each unit you are undertaking and hopefully you will have seen the changes staff have been making to improve your academic experience week on week this autumn. See the full list of core and discretionary questions for unit evaluations.

Unit evaluations for the academic year 2023/24 will be open between the following dates:

Semester 1

Each of the tasks such as open and close dates as well as the reminder emails are generated around 11.45 p.m. on the date shown above. However, the emails to students are then generated and sent over a period of a few hours after that on the following day e.g. Management students will have received the emails during the early hours of Friday 24 November and the OUEs would close at approximately 11.45 p.m. on Monday 18 December.

Semester 2

Each of the tasks such as open and close dates as well as the reminder emails are generated around 11.45 p.m. on the date shown above. However, the emails to students are then generated and sent over a period of a few hours after that on the following day e.g. Management students will have received the emails during the early hours of Monday 8 April and the OUEs would close at approximately 11.45 p.m. on Sunday 5 May.

Log on to SAMIS; then click on the OUE tab to complete

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

• What are Online Unit Evaluations? OUEs are one of the most important ways you can provide feedback on the different units that make up your university course. They give you the opportunity to have your say on the learning and teaching you receive.

• Why should I complete Online Unit Evaluations? The success of your units and the features of your course that you enjoy are in part a direct result of student feedback. Completing evaluations also helps you reflect on your own style of learning and builds your understanding of the sort of learner you are.

• What happens with my feedback? Staff will use the feedback from OUEs, especially the open comments, and other sources of student engagement to make changes to the content, delivery and assessment of units for current and future students. This is done in partnership with students wherever possible. Real change has been made from unit evaluations in the past, such as:

  • Uploading reading material one week before a lecture, instead of one day earlier
  • Spending more time applying theory to case studies and real life examples
  • Standardising weekly teaching and learning methods within a unit.
  • Making marking criteria more explicit.

• What else are Online Unit Evaluations used for? Staff will use the scores and written feedback from OUEs as part of their continuing professional development and as evidence at different stages of their career progression such as probation and promotion.

• Does the University really value student feedback? Yes. The engagement of students and the feedback you give is crucial to the quality assurance processes and enhancement of the learning, teaching and the student experience at Bath. To make your time here better, we want to hear what you have to say and to work with you to make positive changes. In addition every time you complete a Unit Evaluation, each academic year, you are automatically entered into a prize draw for 5 x £100 cash. There is also £250 cash per semester for the department who achieves the largest percentage point increase in response rate from 2022/23 to spend on improving the student experience.

Maximising impact: constructive feedback

Although the scores you give are very important, the detailed and constructive feedback you give in open comments is most useful for staff to make changes and improvements. As you know from your own work, constructive and useful feedback has a few characteristics:

• It is honest - tell us what you really think, not what you think is going to sound best or what others might be saying. Remember that your feedback is completely anonymous too.

• It is specific - use examples to emphasise points and make your feedback clear with as much relevant detail as possible. For example, a helpful comment is: “The lecturer can sometimes be dismissive of questions and rushes through things, making it hard to follow and puts me off participating in discussions.” Less helpful is: “The lecturer’s style isn’t very good.”

• It is respectful - always tell us what you genuinely think but remember that what you have written will have an impact on the person reading your comment. Your comments must be in line with the University’s Dignity and Respect Policy and Procedure otherwise action may be taken.

• It is solution-focussed - the best feedback makes suggestions and gives ideas about what can be done better or differently next time. For example, a helpful comment is: “It would be better to have more variety in assessment that helps me develop and practice different skills and that are more like the challenges I’ll be facing in my career.” Less helpful is: “There are too many essays.”

• It includes the bad and the good - as well as saying what needs to change or improve, give details of what you enjoyed and what is working well so those aspects can be enhanced and spread to other areas.

• It is about doing better next time - some changes can be made straightaway, but others may take time and staff will want to work with you on those. After having read your feedback and that of your peers, staff will have a much better understanding about the student experience of the unit, so make sure your feedback provides them with a solid base to build on. For example, a helpful comment is: “More resources should be made available electronically, especially anything that is ‘core reading’. Courses should diversify their assessments so we aren’t all trying to revise for exams or write coursework, which count for 100% of our grade, all at the same time.” Less helpful is: “Build another library.”

Remember that constructive feedback will have the most impact.

View McGill University’s video on giving constructive feedback

Become more involved

There are other ways you can give feedback to make changes to your learning and teaching.

There are many ways you can shape your course and life at Bath

What are the guidelines on student feedback on their units

Online Unit Evaluations are part of the University’s annual monitoring of the quality of units for all taught courses, as detailed in the University’s Quality Management Code of Practice QA51.

See Code of Practice QA51