Evaluations Release Policy for Student Evaluation of Educators

Purpose

To specify the policy on release of student evaluations of educators.

Overview

Students are often concerned when providing constructive feedback about educators that there might be a potential for reprisal.  The withholding of student names ensures that concerns over the power differential and the potential for reprisal are minimized.
 

Related LCME Standards

8.5: Medical Student Feedback

 

Principles

Bridges Curriculum evaluation policies and procedures should:

1. Provide the School of Medicine with the important information needed to guide curricular decision making that:

a. Meets the needs for continuous quality improvement of the curriculum;

b. Provides in-depth, dynamic data on the initial implementation phase of the curriculum.

2. Meet institutional needs, such as course director decision making and teaching faculty promotion and tenure requirements.

3. Follow sound and rigorous evaluation principles and methods.

4. Be compliant with the policies set forth by the UCSF campus and Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) on disclosure of information from student records.

Policy

  1. Educators can view evaluations about them regardless of the number of evaluations completed.
  2. Evaluations completed by students about educators, courses, and programs will withhold students’ names from evaluations they complete.
  3. In addition, clinical educators will be required to complete a reciprocal evaluation on the student before their teaching evaluation is available for viewing, which is known as the reciprocity rule.

Note: Although student names are withheld on evaluations completed by students, in the preceptor-student relationships which are one-on-one, preceptors will usually know who the student evaluator is even though student names are not on the completed evaluation.

Accountable Dean or Director: Director of Program Evaluation

Approval Date and Governing Body:  Executive Committee, August 6, 2018

Last Updated: August 6, 2018