Student Evaluation of Teaching and Learning (SETL)

SETL is the University of Tasmania's Student Evaluation of Teaching and Learning program which was introduced in 1993. SETL is a system designed to gather feedback from students to assist academic teaching staff develop and formulate their unit organisation and teaching.

This program serves as the main systematic way for students to let the University know what they think of units they study and the teaching they receive. SETL offers academic staff customised evaluations of their teaching and of the unit as a whole.

Evaluations are based on a short unit, honours course, postgraduate (coursework) course and personal teaching questionnaires which all include ‘standard' and ‘optional' sections for questions. All questionnaires invite open-ended comments from students.

The SETL program is administered centrally where all questionnaires are analysed and results reported by staff in the Student Centre. Personal information such as a student's name or ID number is not collected during the process of evaluation. The handwritten comments made by students when completing SETL questionnaires are entirely confidential and anonymous however it is important for students to know that the original questionnaires will be returned to the academic staff member who ordered the evaluation following the release of examination results for the unit. On request the original questionnaires may be provided to Head of School, Associate Dean (T&L), or Dean of the relevant faculty.

A full copy of the results for each unit and teaching evaluation will be made available to the lecturer who ordered the evaluation, the relevant Head of School, Dean and Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning). A summary of all unit and teaching evaluation results will be made available to the students through their respective Union Presidents, and the University Library at the end of each semester. Results of unit evaluations are also available on the SETL website (See statistics).

When administering questionnaires those staff who taught the unit being evaluated or who have been directly involved in another way will not be present when the questionnaires are being completed by students and are required not to handle the completed questionnaires. Staff are asked to enlist the help of an independent person, either a colleague from the same School, or somebody from another part of the University, or a reliable student to distribute the questionnaires and ensure they are returned, in the sealed envelope provided, to the SETL office.

In order to protect the integrity of the SETL process and to ensure the continuation of the University's primary source of student feedback on teaching and learning. It is important that student responses are honest and serious with respect to their personal teaching and learning experiences. The University strongly discourages comments of an harassing or libellous nature. In the cases of unit evaluation, honours course evaluation and postgraduate (coursework) course evaluation the University is seeking feedback on the whole unit/course rather than any one specific part of a unit such as lectures, laboratory classes, tutorials, practicals, flexible delivery etc. Teaching evaluations relate to the person whose name is printed on the front page of each questionnaire and students are asked to take only that person's teaching into consideration when completing the questionnaire.

The SETL Policy requires all units to be evaluated at least once every three years, and staff are required evaluate their teaching at least once every two years.

Teaching staff are encouraged to detail to students who next enrol in the unit they have evaluated any actions or new initiatives that have been introduced as a result of student feedback through the SETL process. These details may be provided to students in introductory comments during the first lecture of the semester or may be included in the unit Outline. The University hopes this process will enable students to have a better understanding of how their predecessors have made a positive and real impact on current teaching and learning experiences by participating in the SETL process.

If you wish to make other comments or want to know more about the SETL program please contact Michele Groombridge in the Student Centre on extension 2057, or fax (03) 62 26 2087, by internal mail (Michele Groombridge, SETL Coordinator – Private Bag 10, Hobart) or by e-mail – michele.groombridge@utas.edu.au