Spark course evaluation programme

Course evaluations in Spark are an important process to ensure the quality of educational services and to develop teaching based on student feedback. Therefore, it is a key principle that the teacher encourages and informs students to provide feedback in Spark at the end of the course.

The approach to when and how students complete the course evaluation can be guided and influenced by the teacher. Students usually complete the evaluation via Moodle on their own, but the teacher can also reserve a special teaching session where students complete the course evaluation. Hanken does not have a common practice, therefore teachers are encouraged to find their own approaches and motivate students to participate in the evaluation.  

• Spark works in Hanken's Moodle environment. Spark is accessed through the menu on the Moodle homepage.

•  Spark offers an overview of all your course evaluations; upcoming, active and done, and shows you a summary of the results.

•  As a teacher, you are expected to give a general response to the evaluation results to your students when the evaluation is closed and consider how the course could be developed. 

The Education council has in April 2022 approved the following guidelines for course evaluations in Spark:

1. The questionnaire consists of three standard questions (1-5) and two open questions. In addition, the teacher can add up to 5 own questions to the form before the form opens (the questions must be sent in advance to the Teaching Lab, who adds them to the question bank)

2. The time: The form automatically opens one week before the end of the course and closes 2 weeks after the end of the course (response time 3 weeks). Course end dates are transferred to Moodle from Sisu. Changing the course end date in Moodle affects the date on which the course evaluation opens (without an end date, the course evaluation does not open at all)!
If your course ends significantly earlier or later than the end date of the period and you therefore want to postpone or advance the course evaluation, it is justified to adjust the end date accordingly, but otherwise not. Students and teachers also access the course after the end date, only the course's status changes from ongoing to earlier.

3. Minimum number of answers: At least 5 answers are required for the result to be displayed.

4. Who sees the results: Anyone who is a teacher on the course in Moodle can see the results for all five questions. All students who are registered on the course in Moodle can see the results for the three standard questions. The rector and deans with responsibility for education receive a yearly report on the results of the three standard questions for all courses. Head of departments, head of subjects and programme coordinators receive a yearly report on the results of the three standard questions for their respective subjects.

5. Extension of the response time: In Spark, the teacher can extend the end time of the course evaluation if necessary.

6. Time for the teacher to publish his response is 10 days from the closing of the evaluation. The response can be started already while the evaluation is in progress and saved as a draft.

7. Time for the students to see the results is 31 days from the closing of the evaluation.

8. Reminders: Spark automatically sends out two reminders/notifications to students; one when the course evaluation opens, and one 7 days before the evaluation closes. In addition, if necessary, the teacher can activate 2 reminders during the time the course evaluation is open

9. Midterm response: the teacher can collect his own midterm response with Spark. The survey can contain a maximum of 10 questions. The midterm response is closed at least one week before the actual course evaluation is opened. Contact Teaching Lab if you want to add your own questions.