Updated System for End-of-Course Student Feedback

The university has updated its end-of-course student feedback system for fall 2024. The Student Perceptions of Teaching (SPOT) survey replaces the Assessing the Classroom Environment (ACE) system.

While the process for providing feedback through SPOT will be similar in most ways to ACE, the new system is designed to be easier to access and use for students and instructors. Students will be able to access SPOT forms through a link on the sidebar within ICON. After grades have been submitted, instructors will have access to an interactive reporting dashboard through ICON. A list of updates and changes for students and instructors can be found below.

This system update is part of a comprehensive effort by the university to create a more holistic and representative assessment of teaching practices across all disciplines. These efforts, which were led by the Teaching Effectiveness Task Force and are being implemented by the Office of the Provost, provide instructors with a varied and diverse framework for how to assess teaching at the university.

If you have any questions or would like more information on how to use SPOT, please contact the ITS Help Desk at its-helpdesk@uiowa.edu.  

Overview of SPOT

For Instructors

What remains the same:

• SPOT will ask the same questions that have been asked since the 2020 item update.
• The timeline for students to complete end-of-session feedback forms remains the same. The system will automatically email students invitations to complete the feedback forms.
• Instructors can access the invitation system through ICON if they want to send out an additional email invitation to students. Many instructors have observed that they get better response rates and more constructive feedback when they take time to let students know how they have benefited from student feedback in the past.  Instructor invitations are most effective when delivered in-person during class, and an email message can be a good way to reinforce that invitation.

What’s new:

• Instructors can access end-of-course feedback reports through ICON after grades have been submitted.
• An optional confidential midterm feedback survey is built into the system, allowing instructors to initiate their own midterm check-in and benefit from student feedback while the course is still in session.  The built-in midterm SPOT Check addresses the same topics as the end-of-course survey. For instructors who wish to get midterm student feedback in response to other questions, the Teaching Assessment Framework offers additional resources and suggestions.

For Students

What remains the same:

• SPOT will ask the same questions that have been asked since the 2020 item update.
• The timeline for students to complete end-of-course feedback forms remains the same. The system will automatically email students invitations to complete the feedback forms.
• Students will also be able to access student feedback forms through a link in MyUI.

What’s new:

• Students can access feedback forms through a single link in the ICON course site.
• A streamlined, user-friendly landing page will help students navigate to feedback forms for all courses and instructors that semester.