SIRS and SOCT Student Course Surveys to be Conducted Online
10/04/2004
Beginning this semester, students will be able to complete online surveys in order to provide feedback about their learning experiences at MSU.
- SIRS, the Student Instructional Rating System, provides faculty and teaching units with feedback on their instructional practices and provides teaching units with information considered in deciding on faculty retention, promotion, tenure, and salary. This survey is designed for departmental use only.
- SOCT, the Student Opinion of Courses and Teaching, is used to collect feedback based on a small set of questions for most undergraduate courses. Students may use SOCT ratings as they evaluate their selections of courses and instructors. SOCT data is available to the MSU community, in summary form only, at www.soct.msu.edu.
Traditionally, SIRS and SOCT responses have been collected using paper mark-sense scoring forms (”bubble sheets”) distributed in class near the end of the term. The new online system allows students to fill out the forms through a series of Web pages. Effective this Fall term, all SOCT responses will be collected online. Academic departments will be offered the option of collecting SIRS data online or through the traditional bubble sheets.
The system has been designed to protect student anonymity. During the collection period, instructors have no access to either SIRS or SOCT feedback on their classes. After they have submitted grades for a class section, instructors (and authorized department administrators) will be able to see SIRS summary results for that section. Multiple-choice questions will be reported only in summary form. All comments will be listed, but will not be identified as responses from a particular student’s online form.
SIRS and SOCT online forms for participating class sections, will be available to students beginning near the end of a class until grades for the class are entered. Students will receive individual emails detailing which of their classes have SIRS or SOCT online forms and giving the dates the forms will be available online.
For more information, see the Fact Sheet and FAQ list at www.rateyourclass.msu.edu.
WKAR Interview Demonstrates Long Distance Voice-over-Internet Quality
10/01/2004
Scott Pohl, local co-host of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, interviews ACNS senior information technologist Rich Wiggins about Skype, a new global Voice over IP (VOIP) to allow Internet-to-Internet calls at no charge, and Internet-to-telephone calls for relatively low rates. They conducted the interview with Rich in Traverse City, connected to a hotel’s broadband network via a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop. The interview reveals the possibilities — and the limitations — of the technology.
You can listen to the interview online from the WKAR radio archives at:
http://wkar.org/newsfeatures/story.php?storyid=576
(requires RealPlayer)
