Visit the FCQ Redesign Project website for a deeper look at the spring 2017 administration, including pilot response rate comparisons by campus and methodology behind new question sets.
Every term, students at the University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs and University of Colorado Denver evaluate their courses and instructors using a questionnaire called the Faculty Course Questionnaire (FCQ).
In summer 2016, the Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs campuses partnered to update the current FCQ question sets and also transition from paper and pencil administration to a more sustainable method. After completing two pilots over the last academic year, the faculty-led redesign team has created new question sets and is preparing to move all FCQs online beginning fall 2017.
New FCQ question sets fall 2017
In the second and final pilot, the project team created new question sets in collaboration with the Discipline Based Education Research (DBER) group, a multidisciplinary program on the Boulder campus. The new question sets were reviewed by campus committee members, including the chair of the Boulder Faculty Assembly, past president of the Colorado Springs Faculty Assembly and the chair of the Denver Faculty Assembly.
Boulder and Colorado Springs shared the same question set and Denver offered a slightly different set. The new technology platform allows for this type of customization.
FCQ moving fully online fall 2017
The redesign team is working to collect and deliver resources to faculty and staff prior to fall 2017 FCQ administration to ensure faculty and staff are prepared for the transition (e.g., training and Q&A sessions, online resources).
There is no faculty action required at this time. Faculty will be contacted later this summer and throughout the fall term with information about FCQ administration for their classes and given access to resources and support throughout the transition.
Spring pilot administration and response rates
After testing two different instruments during the fall 2016 pilot, the redesign team engaged with the DBER group to analyze the results and used this analysis to construct a new question set for the spring 2017 pilot. By incorporating faculty and student feedback, the redesign team believes the new question set will be a better source of feedback for the campuses to improve teaching and learning.
Across all three campuses, 83 classes and approximately 3,880 students participated in the spring FCQ pilot. By using the fall 2016 pilot as a learning experience, the redesign team was able to improve average overall response rates by approximately 15 percentage points, with response rates approaching average paper FCQ rates.
Students enrolled in spring pilot FCQ courses completed their survey on the fully online platform, using a cell phone, tablet, laptop or PC. Additionally, similar to paper FCQs, students in numerous pilot FCQ courses were given time at the beginning of a class session to complete their FCQ, which may contribute to higher response rates.
