Why Evaluation Timing Matters
In course evaluations, timing is essential. If the survey schedule and reporting release are not kept separate from grade submission, mutual bias can undermine the process:
- Student Grading Bias: If students see their final grades before filling out evaluations, their ratings and comments are often colored by the grade they received rather than the course itself.
- Faculty Grading Bias: If instructors can see evaluation feedback before submitting final grades, students worry that critical feedback might affect their final mark.
To protect both students and instructors, most institutions align evaluation windows and report releases around the grade submission deadline.
Two Rules for Protecting Academic Feedback
SurveyDIG includes configurable reporting controls that keep grading and evaluation feedback separate:
1. Surveys Close Before Grades Are Released
Student evaluation windows are scheduled to close before final course grades become visible. This encourages students to provide thoughtful feedback on instruction, course pace, and course materials without being influenced by their final grade.
2. Faculty Reports Stay Hidden Until Grades Are Rolled
Instructors and department chairs cannot view evaluation scores or student comments until final grades have been submitted and rolled in the student information system (SIS).
Even if every student in a class finishes their evaluation early, results remain locked. Reports only become available once final grades are recorded by the registrar. Most schools rely on this rule to protect student anonymity and maintain faculty objectivity.
Automated Reporting Controls
In generic survey tools, coordinating this schedule requires administrators to manually lock surveys and manually release reports section by section.
With SurveyDIG, the schedule is automated. Because the platform connects directly with Ellucian Banner and Colleague, report availability can be tied to term grade-roll status. Once the registrar rolls grades for a term, reports release automatically according to institutional policy.