ACADEMIC SENATE

RESOLUTION 02/03-08B

Publication of Course Evaluations

WHEREAS Article II of the Academic Senate Constitution defines the purposes of the Faculty Assembly, Academic Senate, and the various School Councils to include serving as "forums for faculty decision-making," and as "the voice of the faculty in the making of university policy and in the consideration of academic issues;" to "safeguard, full academic due process;" and also to "determine positions on faculty status, responsibilities and welfare, and other important institutional issues, and any and all issues pertaining to the well being of the faculty and the University;"

WHEREAS Article IV of the Academic Senate Constitution defines the Academic Senate as "the representative body of the faculty at large for university-wide issues;"

WHEREAS publication of course evaluations might undermine efforts to strengthen educational standards and rigor;

WHEREAS there are benefits to a policy that "introduces more choice and flexibility for Schools;

WHEREAS no unit or School should be required to have such public disclosures of teaching evaluations imposed without a favorable vote of their regular faculty or their elected representatives;

WHEREAS some faculty members may consider the publication of quantitative summaries of student course and faculty evaluations to be an invasion of privacy;

BE IT RESOLVED that the Academic Senate recommends the creation of a committee with the responsibility to consider the question of whether student course and faculty evaluations should be posted on the world wide web or elsewhere in summary or any other form, and to direct the report of this committee to the Academic Senate in full.

FURTHERMORE, the Academic Senate recommends that the faculty or the elected faculty councils of individual Schools shall have the option to vote on the question of whether the student course and faculty evaluations from their respective schools will be published, this determination to remain in effect until such time as the Academic Senate has had an opportunity to fully examine the question of whether or not there should be a standard University policy on whether and how course evaluations should be published.

Resolution Number: 02/03-08B Motion by: Eng’g. Faculty Council

Date: February 7, 2003 Seconded by: Senator Michael Bolger

To be presented at Senate meeting held: March 26, 2003

Action taken: passed, with 18 in favor, 4 opposed, no abstentions