Course and Instructor Evaluations

Spring Semester 2024

The Course and Instructor Evaluations will run for six weeks, beginning on Monday, April 8, 2024, and ending on Friday, May 17, 2024. Students will log on to their ESTHER account and complete their evaluations. The evaluation process is always confidential, and we encourage every Rice Owl to participate. Your input counts!

Evaluation Response Rates

Beginning with the Spring 2006 semester, the evaluation process went from being paper-based to online via ESTHER. Student evaluators were able to complete their evaluations privately and at times of their convenience. Initially response rates dipped, but since Spring 2007 student response rates have been and remain high.

Summarized Evaluations

Course and Instructor Evaluation summaries are available on the Course and Instructor Summarized Evaluations page. To access this page, you will need to authenticate using your NetID and password after clicking the link. The data is now on the Rice Tableau Dataviz Server and instructions to navigate in Tableau are on the Summarized Evaluations page.

Evaluation Narratives

Spring 2007 to Present

Beginning with the Spring 2007 semester, Course and Instructor Evaluation results are available to students and instructors via ESTHER. For information about viewing graphs and narratives, see the Viewing Narratives and Graphs in ESTHER page.

Prior to Spring 2007

The Faculty Information System (FIS) is used for semesters prior to Spring 2007 and contains both the numerical graphs and the narratives. Course and Instructor Evaluation data in the FIS dates back to Fall 2003. The evaluation results gathered between Fall 2003 and Fall 2005 were handwritten and manually scanned into the online system (FIS). Instructors and staff can access evaluation results via the Faculty Information System (FIS) using your Net-ID and Password.

If you have problems using FIS due to your internet browser (Safari, Internet Explorer, etc.), please contact the IT Helpdesk.

When viewing scanned data, please note cross-listed course evaluations have been combined and will appear under each course listing. For example, if ANTH 200 (enrollment 2; group enrollment 25) is cross-listed with LING 200 (enrollment 23; group enrollment 25) with a total of 21 course evaluations received, the 21 course evaluations will post under both ANTH 200 and LING 200.

Respond to Evaluation Narratives

Should they desire to do so, the course instructor can submit a "response" to evaluation narratives in ESTHER. For information about responding to evaluation narratives, see the Responding to Evaluation Narratives in ESTHER page.

Important Notice Regarding Evaluations

The course and instructor evaluation process is an essential ingredient in the university's ongoing effort to monitor and improve the quality of instruction at Rice. As part of this valuable process, each semester students are encouraged to submit feedback on the quality of the course and the effectiveness of its instructor. Students are encouraged to read this Important Notice Regarding Evaluations.

Questions

If you have course and instructor evaluation questions, please contact registrar@rice.edu.

  • Questionnaire redesign made responding less tedious
  • Students now having the ability to view their peers' comments
  • Evaluation period extended to a total of six (6) weeks
  • Students prompted to complete course and instructor evaluations before viewing final grades