Methodology & Research
The following documentation provides the research base supporting development and ongoing refinement of the Course Experience Survey (CES), including background on measurement development, response rate research, equity and bias analyses, and contextual factors that may influence results.
TSSU Strike Impact on CES 2023
From June to mid-October 2023, the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU) implemented various strike actions. SFU community members noted that the strike affected students' course experiences and may be reflected in Course Experience Survey (CES) responses. This report provides a high-level overview comparing mean scores for common core questions from Fall 2022 and Fall 2023.
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CES Response Rate 2023 - Extending the Survey Period
LEAP piloted an extension of the Course Experience Survey during the Fall 2023 semester to investigate whether a duration longer than 2 weeks at the end of the term could meaningfully increase response rates. Four departments participated with two opening the survey 1 week earlier and two extending the survey two weeks after classes ended.
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SETC Improvement Project 2021-2022
From 2021 to 2022, LEAP undertook the SETC Improvement Project (SIP) to review and strengthen SFU's student course experience surveys. At the time, the Student Experience of Teaching and Courses (SETC) survey had been in place for several years, and questions had emerged regarding response rates, item design, bias, interpretation of results, and alignment with emerging practices in Canadian higher education.
The SIP project brought together institution-level data analysis, psychometric review, student interviews, a faculty engagement review, and a scan of national frameworks to examine how SETC functioned as a measurement tool. The project produced ten focused research reports alongside a final recommendations report, forming the foundation for the development of the current Course Experience Survey (CES).
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SETC Improvement Project Recommendations
SIP 1: Psychometric Properties of the New Common Core Questions
SIP 2: Improving SETC Response Rates Updated
SIP 3: Faculty Sex Bias Report
SIP 5: Student Interview Analysis
SIP 6: Frameworks Across Canada
SIP 7: SETC Surveys: What Questions are we Asking?
SIP 8: Who is not Responding to SETC?
Improving SETC Response Rates 2017
In 2017, a comprehensive study was undertaken to gain an understanding of how, at that time, a SETC response rate of 51% could be improved. The report includes a literature review, results from interviews with key researchers and industry leaders as well as an examination of external case studies. In the results, 6 key questions were explored:
- Does SFU have an online course evaluation response rate problem?
- What motivates students to participate in course evaluations?
- Which strategies can be used to increase response rates?
- Which strategies have worked at SFU and elsewhere?
- Why extend the evaluation period into the exam period?
- Should students have the right to opt-out of course evaluations altogether?
This report was updated in 2022 to incorporate current course survey response rates, and the literature review section received a further update in 2024.