Surveys

Information on the evasys+ survey portal and about the various types of surveys for lecturers, module coordinators and course coordinators.

The evasys+ survey portal

The evasys+ survey portal introduced for lecturers in summer semester 2022 supplements the evasys survey software with a clear and user-friendly interface.

If you have any problems with registration, please email the Quality Development Unit (QE).

Benefits

  • evasys+ allows you to display your surveys across multiple semesters (up to 5 years), track the response rate of current surveys in real time, and independently manage the opening and closing of your surveys.
  • No more searching through your emails for links to the registration forms or surveys or the results of previous semesters.
  • You can log in to the portal with your ac-account.

Available functions

  • Close and open surveys independently
  • Reassign the survey to another teacher
  • Change survey type, switch between paper and online surveys
  • Cancel a survey (reject surveys)
  • Add optional additional questions
  • Save optional additional questions as a question set/template for reuse in future surveys
  • Download survey results

Course survey

The primary purpose of the course survey is to provide feedback to the teaching staff

The questionnaire contains twelve questions that address the general quality characteristics of a course and are suitable for all types of courses (lectures, seminars, practical courses, exercises, etc.). In addition, teachers can add six optional questions that are of personal interest or only relevant for certain types of courses (e.g. questions about experiments in practical courses, presentations in seminars, blackboard notes in lectures, etc.).

Sample survey

e recommend conducting the survey in the middle of the lecture period so that the results can be discussed with the students during the course and improvements can be implemented directly.

Surveys are provided by the QE department

  • The course data is imported from C@MPUS by the Evaluation department in the middle of the semester. By default, the surveys are created in the form of bilingual online surveys (German/English).

Teachers receive information on the surveys being provided in the survey portal by email

Teaching staff can now make the following adjustments in the survey portal:

  • Add optional questions to the core survey
  • Assign the survey to another person 
  • Change survey procedure (switch from online to paper survey)
  • Cancel surveys
  • Fill in course fields (type of course, number of participants)

Further information on the functions mentioned can be found in the survey portal guide (in German). 

Implementation online:

  • Online surveys are bilingual. Optional questions should be entered in the appropriate language (e.g. language of instruction), as no automatic translation is available here.
  • In an online in-person survey, the QR code or link to the survey is provided directly to the students in a face-to-face session or live online event. The students complete the survey on site on their mobile devices. In the survey portal, you can track whether all students have completed the survey and close it directly. 
  • Alternatively, the survey can be made available to students by email or in ILIAS. In these cases, the response rate is usually significantly lower. This can be improved by issuing multiple reminders and limiting the survey period. 
  • The survey can be closed and the results retrieved in the survey portal

Implementation analog:

  • The questionnaire is printed out (if possible on both sides, the four corner marks must be completely visible) and distributed during the course. 
  • During the survey, the lecturers should leave the room for about ten minutes and then have the students collect the completed questionnaires and seal them in an envelope.
  • The surveys are then sent by the students by internal mail (e.g. via the secretary's office) to the Evaluation Department at Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 24D.
  • As soon as the questionnaires have been scanned (usually within five working days of receipt), you will be informed by email that the results are available in the survey portal.

The evaluation report contains a presentation template for the discussion of the results during the course.

The completed paper questionnaires are evaluated by an automatic scanning system in the Evaluation Department; the completed online surveys are processed automatically by the survey system. Only you will have access to the detailed results of your course survey, including information on frequencies, results of optional questions, and free-form entries. Selected mean values of the individual courses are used in the module evaluation. In this aggregated form, the results are made available to the module coordinators and Deans of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies every two years.

In accordance with the regulation specified in section 16 of the evaluation regulations, paper questionnaires are disposed of at the end of the following semester. The raw data in digital form is deleted after five years.

Surveys are made available each semester for all courses registered in C@MPUS. This means that you can conduct a survey every semester. According to the evaluation regulations, a survey must be conducted at least every two years.

Courses are not included in the automatic generation of the mid-semester survey if

  • the course category "do not evaluate" has been selected in C@MPUS or
  • zero semester hours per week have been entered for the course or teacher in C@MPUS.

Please send all paper questionnaires by internal mail to:
Evaluation Department
Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 24D
70174 Stuttgart

You can log on using your university account (ac-account). You do not need an extra account.

You can find an overview of the functions of the survey portal in our survey portal guide (in German).

Online surveys are designed to be bilingual, i.e. students can switch between the German and English survey when completing it. Optional questions should be entered in the appropriate language (e.g. language of instruction), as no automatic translation is available here.

Paper surveys are available in German and English. Please follow the instructions in the survey portal when switching from the online to the paper survey.

If you would like to conduct a survey for your course before the middle of the semester, please send us a short email with the title of the course, the course number and the name and email address of the lecturer.

Please send us an email with the title of the event, and we will send you the missing information.

A large number of emails are sent from our email address, and it can occasionally happen that these are marked as spam. Please check your spam folder.

In accordance with the evaluation regulations, no evaluations are carried out for data protection reasons if five or fewer questionnaires have been completed for an event.

You can view and download the results of the survey in the survey portal.

Module survey

In contrast to the course survey, the module survey focuses more on the skills that students have acquired during a module. Furthermore, the survey asses the interaction between the various courses in the module and the total module workload. 

The module survey takes place online shortly before the module examination, as students can only realistically assess the skills acquired and the learning effects at the time of the examination.

The Stuttgart Evaluation Model provides for an online survey of students every two years, provided that at least one course is a basic, compulsory or core module, at least 30 students have registered for the examination and an examination date has been made available. In addition, the Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies can arrange for other modules to be surveyed.

The survey is carried out and organized by the Quality Development Unit (QE).

The module questionnaire consists of three groups of questions, each used to form specific indicators:

  • Workload: Subjective workload and amount of content covered in the module
  • Learning conditions: Organization, clarity of the module structure and workload, collaboration among the instructors within the module, and the coordination of the individual courses
  • Learn effects: Acquired ability to provide an overview of topics, understand topics in depth, work on problems, and critically assess content

Here you will find an overview of the questions and indicators of the module survey (in German).

The results of the module survey are presented together with further information in the module report and made available to the module coordinators.

Module reports include:

  • General information on the module and pass rate: The first part of the report contains general information from the module handbook to facilitate comparison between the module design and the student evaluation. The module coordinators also receive an overview of the statistical results of the module examination. The pass rate describes the ratio of examinations passed to the number of participants, provided this data was already available at the time of reporting.
  • Results of the module survey: The second part includes module survey evaluations. A profile line displays the results, supplemented by comparison lines that show the average ratings of all modules within the study programs involved. An evaluation of the workload-related questions is also provided.
  • Results of the course surveys: The third part presents the results of the course surveys, which are included in the respective module as described. In addition to the profile lines of the individual courses, comparison lines are also included here. These indicate the average evaluation of courses of the same type (lecture, seminar, exercise, etc.) of the participating study programs. An overview of the assessment of the workload is also included. 

An overview of the information contained in the module report is provided to the Deans of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies in the form of module overviews. The results are presented here in tabular form as average values and indicators. The module overviews are discussed in the committees on student affairs and teaching.

Module evaluation

While module surveys are a data collection tool that gather students' assessments, module evaluations focus on identifying the module's strengths and weaknesses and offering recommendations for future improvements. The heart of the module evaluation lies in the commentary on the module reports.

According to the evaluation regulations, commenting on module reports is mandatory in certain cases (EvalO, §14 (2)), but can also be voluntary. The comments may be requested by the (majority of the student members of the) committee on student affairs and teaching, as well as the module coordinator or any lecturer who teaches the module in question. 

As a participatory process, the comments are made jointly by module coordinators, lecturers, and students. Among other things, survey results, pass rates and learning objectives of the module are discussed. The aim of the commentary is to jointly identify potential for improvement and work out any opportunities for improvement.

Comments can be made informally and are not bound by any specifications. Important: Please always state the module number, module name and the name of the module coordinator in the document. Alternatively, you are welcome to use our template for module commenting (in German) or to use this as a guide (see also the guidelines for commenting on modules (in German)).

  • If the comments are made at the request of the committee on student affairs and teaching, the student representatives on the committee select two students from the module to comment on the module and send them the contact details. 
  • If the comments are made at the request of the module coordinator or teaching staff, they themselves contact the students of the module with the request to participate in the comments.

Module coordinators should send their comments to all Deans of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies whose programs include the respective module. The Evaluation Department of the Quality Development Unit can assist with forwarding this information. Simply send the comments via email, along with a brief informal request for forwarding.

Student survey

The student survey is the central instrument of quality development for student evaluations of study programs. Every two years, all Bachelor's and Master's students are invited to take part in the online survey. Students from Faculties 1, 2, 4 and 7 as well as Faculties 3, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 are surveyed on a rotating basis. The questionnaire is also available in English.

For data protection reasons, we only pass on the data in anonymized form, usually as a report, and not as raw data. In addition, program-specific data is only sent to the program directors and a minimum of six people must take part.

The questionnaire covers all the main topics related to studying, from the beginning to the end of your studies. Core elements include the assessment of the study program structure and the quality of teaching. This tool is continuously being developed to address current challenges and evolving needs.

The survey can also include other specific questions from the program directors that relate specifically to one or more study programs. In preparation for the survey, we send a letter to all program directors to assist them in integrating program-specific topics. 

The Quality Development Unit analyzes the results after the survey is completed and promptly provides the course directors with course-specific result reports. By critically examining the results, especially with the involvement of the study commission, you can gain an impression of how your students currently rate the study program. The results from previous student surveys can also be used as comparative values. This allows trends and developments within a study program to be tracked over several years.

It is also possible to compare your study program with responses from students across all disciplines within the same subject group (e.g., engineering). The results can thus provide important insights into the quality of the study programs in order to identify any critical points, derive suitable measures and review their effectiveness.

The results of the student survey are also relevant for updating the study program report. In addition to the graduate survey and module overviews, they provide an important data foundation for the review process.

The reliability of the data is strongly influenced by the number of students who participate in the survey. In order to ensure a high response rate, the employees of the Quality Development Unit use common methods and social research procedures, such as an attractively designed invitation letter and reminder emails. In the past, sending the invitation letter on behalf of the Dean of Studies or other individuals familiar to students (such as the program manager or program directors) has proven particularly effective. Therefore, we would greatly appreciate your continued support as a study program coordinator moving forward.

In the last survey, informing students in advance about the start of the student survey—whether through course coordinators or lecturers of central courses (e.g., via ILIAS or other email distribution lists)—proved effective for obtaining more reliable data and increasing the response rate. To assess the significance of the data, the collected information is ultimately compared with population distributions, such as ratios related to gender, degree, and semester.

If you are responsible for a very small study program or have specific questions for your students, the Quality Development Unit also offers qualitative surveys in the form of group discussions. Further information can be found at qualitative student survey.

Qualitative student survey

The qualitative student survey is a student survey in the form of a group interview. This tool is ideal for you if you don’t receive results from quantitative surveys with a small number of students due to low response rates, or if you have specific questions for your students.

First, we conduct a preliminary discussion with the study program coordinators to identify the relevant topics for the survey. We then request the program directors to send an invitation to the students to schedule a date for the group interview. Following the student survey, Quality Development prepares an anonymous report and shares it with the students for feedback. Once approved by the students, the report is forwarded to the program directors.

  • You can record how satisfied students are with the study program. 
  • You can embed students' statements about the study program in a context and supplement them with explanatory information from the department. 
  • They can specifically address the challenges facing students on the course and discuss initial solutions.
  • The personal exchange with students promotes a positive and appreciative feedback culture.

A comprehensive qualitative student survey can cover topics such as starting your studies, study program organization, examination organization, study conditions, satisfaction with facilities and the strengths and weaknesses of your study program. The list of questions can be expanded to include other topics that are of interest to those responsible for the study program.

Once the topics have been agreed upon, we ask the study program coordinators to send the invitation email, along with any reminder emails, to the students. The rest of the work is carried out by the Quality Development Unit.

Graduate survey

In 2014, the cooperative project "Baden-Württemberg Graduate Study" was initiated by five universities, with the University of Stuttgart joining in 2016. Currently, eight of the nine universities in Baden-Württemberg are participating in the project.

All graduates of Bachelor's, Master's, and teaching study programs are invited to participate in the survey approximately 1.5 to 2 years after graduation. The invitation will be sent by mail to the last address registered with the University of Stuttgart. For undeliverable letters, addresses are verified through the residents' registration offices. The survey is conducted using the TAN method, which means that each person contacted receives an individual TAN to participate in the survey once.

The aim of the survey is to gather essential information relevant to the quality control processes of the internal QM systems and to support the further development of study programs. This concerns, among other things, regular and meaningful information on the whereabouts and career entry of graduates as well as findings on the extent to which the study programs meet the needs of the labor market. 

The reliability of the data is strongly influenced by the number of students who participate in the survey. In order to ensure a high response rate, the employees of the Quality Development Unit use common methods and social research procedures, such as an attractively designed invitation letter. In the past, sending the invitation letter on behalf of the Dean of Studies or other individuals familiar to students (such as the program manager or program directors) has proven particularly effective. Therefore, we would greatly appreciate your continued support as a study program coordinator moving forward. 

If there are 20 or more participants, the person responsible for the study program will receive a detailed program-specific report; if the response rate is lower, a short report will be sent. If fewer than 6 graduates of a study program take part in the survey, no evaluation will be carried out.

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