Department of Psychology
Course Evaluation in the Department of Psychology
Software-supported course evaluation with EvaSys:
Since the winter semester 2018/19, courses of the Department of Psychology are evaluated entirely online via the "EvaSys" platform. On this website you will find detailed information about the course evaluation with EvaSys as well as the processes and implemented questionnaires used in the Department of Psychology.
All preparations within the organised online course evaluation (Lehrveranstaltungsevaluation/ LVE) via EvaSys, are handled by the evaluation-coordinator of the Department of Psychology. Lecturers only need to update the participant-management (Teilnahmemanagement) in the eKVV, once the course has started, in case it is activated. All required data is then transferred directly from the eKVV to EvaSys and selected courses are thus automatically evaluated online.
Basic questionnaires were developed for the courses of the Department of Psychology (based on the previously used InstEval questionnaires and the central question catalogue of Bielefeld University), which are currently available in five variants - for lectures, seminars, block seminars, colloquia and tutorials. In addition to the basic questionnaires, lecturers always have the option of adding a limited number of individual questions, relating to specific aspects of the course, for example.
The evaluations are automatically activated via the EvaSys system and results are automatically sent to the corresponding lecturers in form of PDF reports.
Detailed descriptions of the goals, formats, processes and responsibilities regarding the course evaluations in the Department of Psychology can be found in the course evaluation concept (in German).
Further information about course evaluations at Bielefeld University in general can be found here (in German).
Processes in the Department of Psychology
- Evaluation intervals
Currently, the evaluation regulations state that all lecturers must evaluate at least a quarter of their courses per academic year. This requirement is implemented in the Department of Psychology with the following evaluation intervals:
Semester Work Group (Arbeitseinheit/AE) summer semester 2024 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10
winter semester 2024/25 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 summer semester 2025 16, 17, 18, 1, 2, 3, 4 and external lecturers winter semester 2025/26 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10
summer semester 2026 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15
winter semester 2026/27 16, 1, 2, 3, 4 and external lecturers
etc. etc. At the beginning of each semester, a short email is sent to all work groups, reminding them of the upcoming evaluations. Work groups that are scheduled to be evaluated will automatically participate in the evaluation.
Teachers from other work groups also have the opportunity to have their course evaluated voluntarily each semester. If you are interested, please contact us at the beginning of the semester (lehrevaluation-psych@uni-bielefeld.de).
- Evaluation period & student invitations
In the Department of Psychology, evaluations are conducted from the second-to-last week of the semester until the end of the first week in the semester break. For block seminars, course evaluations start at 5 a.m. on the last day of the seminar according to the eKVV, so students may complete the evaluations during the seminar. If a different procedure is required, please contact us as soon as possible.
For courses with two lecturers, two separate evaluations are automatically conducted. If only one lecturer is to be evaluated, please contact us at the beginning of the semester.
Students in evaluated courses are automatically contacted by email at the beginning of the evaluation period and receive a link to the respective questionnaires. Students can complete the online course evaluations on their laptops as well as on their tablets or smartphones. Lecturers are automatically informed when their evaluation period starts.
Please update the participant-management (Teilnahmemanagement) in the eKVV (this enables the system to generate accurate distribution lists and response rates). Despite the automated processes, we recommend to "advertise" the participation in the evaluations in your courses, i.e. explain the benefits of the evaluation and, if possible, allow time for completion during the course.
- Questionnaires & Results
Since courses take place on-site as well as online/in a hybrid-format, two versions of the course evaluations are offered: one version for courses held on-site and one version for hybrid/online courses, which contains additional questions that explicitly refer to the implementation in online/hybrid format.
The evaluation questions are taken from the central question catalogue of Bielefeld University. More information can be found online in the central QM portal (in German).
In addition, lecturers always have the option of supplementing the basic questionnaire with a limited number of their own questions via the so-called "Meldemaske”.
According to the respective course type, one of the following questionnaire variants is used in the Psychology Department:
- Psychology evaluation form for on-site seminars
- Psychology evaluation form for on-site block seminars
- Psychology evaluation form for on-site colloquia
- Psychology evaluation form for online/hybrid seminars
- Psychology evaluation form for online/hybrid block seminars
- Psychology evaluation form for online/hybrid colloquia
Questionnaires for lectures, project seminars and tutorials are not available in English yet, but will be provided on demand. Please contact me if needed.
A PDF report with a summary of results is automatically created and sent to the lecturers by email by EvaSys after the end of the course evaluation. This report usually contains the following information:
- Number of participants (N)
- Mean (mw)
- Median (md)
- Standard deviation (s)
Please note that if there are less than five students participating, results will not be accessible for data privacy reasons! Results can therefore not be retrieved.
What happens with the results?
The results reports are primarily intended for the lecturers themselves and can serve as a feedback instrument for potential teaching concept adjustments. In addition, the evaluation regulations of Bielefeld University state that the results should be communicated with the students as an essential part of the course evaluation.
If you are unhappy with your results or surprised and would like to have a neutral exchange, please contact us. We provide support if you need advice or want to exchange ideas with other teachers.- Evaluation of theses supervision
A template with items for voluntary and self-organised evaluation of the supervision of theses is now available, which you can use in this form or as a draft for your own questionnaire (only available in German):
The evaluation of your thesis supervision can and should only be for you personally and is therefore not centrally organised or mandatory. This means that the results of the evaluation are exclusively yours and will not be viewed by third parties. They can provide a good basis for reflecting the quality of your supervision and making adjustments if necessary.
Please note the following when evaluating your thesis supervision:
- You need to organise and evaluate the evaluation yourself (it is therefore advised to print out the questionnaire and hand it out or send it to the students as a PDF)
- The evaluation may only be carried out after the grading and after the student's objection period has expired
- Completion of the evaluation by the student is voluntary and must not be detrimental to the student