Participating in course evaluations is a great way to actively contribute to improving the quality of a course. You will not benefit directly from your own suggestions for improvement, as you will generally not be taking the same course again. However, you will be part of the ongoing development of the course since you will profit from the evaluations of previous students and you will enable future generations to do the same. In addition, you will contribute to the overall development of teaching in your department, which will be beneficial to you when you take other courses in the future.

When is a mandatory comprehensive survey (Vollerhebung) carried out in my faculty?

As of the summer semester 2018, the LVE is administered as a mandatory comprehensive survey every three semesters (see "How often do course evaluations take place?"). For organizational reasons, the full survey cycle will not begin at the same time in all faculties. Here is an overview of when the full survey is expected to take place in different faculties:

Winter semester 2020/21: Faculties 03, 08, 09, 15
Summer semester 2021: Faculties 02, 05, 10, 14
Winter semester 2021/22: Faculties 01, 04, 06, 07, 11, 12, 13, 16

In addition, regular full surveys are carried out in Faculties 02 and 16. The periodic schedule of the faculities is maintained in the following semesters hrt.

How are the interim semesters organized in my faculty?

The scheduling of interim semesters is decided by the faculty for each semester. The decision is usually made by the faculty council after consultation with the study commission. To find out the status for the current semester in your faculty, please contact the student representative or your faculty dean.

Can I register my instructor for course evaluation outside of the comprehensive surveys

Whether a course is evaluated outside of the mandatory comprehensive survey is up to the faculty or instructor, depending on the interim semester schedule (see "How often do course evaluations take place?"). Of course, you can also give verbal or written feedback on the quality of teaching at any time, even without a questionnaire.

Why does the evaluation take place "online in person"?

The evaluation takes place "online, in person," i.e. you complete the questionnaire in the course using your own Internet-enabled mobile device. This form of evaluation has several advantages.

Compared to a paper-based procedure, the online mode provides instructors with results within a few working days. This means that the feedback can usually be discussed within the same course, with the exception of block seminars, lecture series, and field trips. In addition, the information is now typewritten and therefore more anonymous and easier to read than the paper questionnaires. Finally, the process is more environmentally friendly because no paper is used.

The evaluation takes place "in person" because your feedback is central to the continuous development of teaching at Goethe University. The face-to-face evaluation explicitly gives you the time you need to complete the questionnaire conscientiously. This ensures a high response rate and meaningful results.

How can I participate in the survey?
To participate in the course evaluation, you will need to bring an Internet-enabled mobile device, such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, to the course you are evaluating on the day of the evaluation. After entering the link and/or QR code provided by the instructor, you will be able to start the survey.

What if I don't have an Internet-enabled mobile device?
If you do not have a suitable device, we ask you to borrow one from your classmates. Every piece of feedback counts in the development of the course, including yours!

Do I have to log in to the Goethe University WLAN network?

If you have sufficient network coverage, you can choose any available network. In addition, loading a survey uses very little data volume overall, so you can decide for yourself whether you want to log in to the Goethe University WLAN.

How long does the evaluation take?

The length of the questionnaires varies depending on the number of questionnaires selected. Instructors can select up to three supplemental questionnaires in addition to the basic questionnaire. Depending on whether and how many supplements are selected, the average time to complete a questionnaire is between 5 and 15 minutes. In recent years, the questionnaires have been streamlined so that a supplemental questionnaire typically contains fewer than 10 items (questions). This means that the value of the information for the teachers is now more in line with the time required.

All in all, including the introduction by the instructor, entering the link, etc., the evaluation takes between 10 and 20 minutes.

How can I participate if my Internet connection is slow or unavailable?

Evaluating online has many advantages (see "Why does the evaluation take place online, in person?"). However, the questionnaires may be slow to load and/or you may not be able to submit your results or receive confirmation immediately, especially if the network is busy due to a high volume of evaluations. In this case, your instructor will ask you to pause the survey and resume it later, possibly with a time delay within the group.

The only exception to online evaluation is the field trip. Since students often do not have access to the Internet (e.g., on field trips abroad), field trip instructors may request a paper-based evaluation in certain cases.

How long are the links active?

The links are time-controlled. The lecturer shows the PDF with the link/QR code to the students at any time during the course. At the end of the evaluation window, which covers the same period as the course, the link is deactivated.

What is the minimum number of participants for instructors to receive results?

Instructors see the evaluation results when at least four students have completed the form. This ensures the anonymity of the participants.

Do I have to participate?

Participation in course evaluations is voluntary. However, please note that your feedback is extremely valuable to the instructors and students who follow you. You will also benefit from the evaluations of previous students!

Why is my feedback so important?

Only the students attending a course can tell the instructor what was lacking or helpful in the course. Your participation can make a difference in the instructor's ability to improve the course in the future. Instructors also get valuable feedback when they try new teaching strategies. Take advantage of the opportunity to be heard!

How do I structure my feedback so that it helps improve instruction?

Always give feedback in the way you would like to receive it - that is, in a constructive and helpful manner. Remember that the goal is to improve the quality of teaching, not to criticize the instructor.

Following these guidelines will help the recipient of your feedback:

• Avoid generic feedback ("always," "never"...). Instead, be specific about what aspect of the course you are criticizing.
• Give reasons and examples for your opinion.
• Provide specific suggestions for improvement.
• Remain objective and avoid personal and disparaging feedback.
• Use clear language, be logical, and be consistent.
• Write in the "I" form. This makes it clear that your feedback is based on your personal view and does not apply to everyone.
• Respect the instructor's teaching style and be realistic in your expectations.

In principle, anyone can view the results once the instructor has posted them. The results are usually made available to the concerned students by the instructor who discusses the results with them. In addition, the (academic) deans and study commissions in the faculties usually have access to the results so that they can discuss them for the purpose of quality assurance in teaching. Please note, however, that the study commissions do not meet in public and that the members of the commissions are obliged to maintain the confidentiality of the results.

The data can be viewed by the staff of the central teaching and quality assurance departments responsible for course evaluations and by the studiumdigitale office responsible for carrying out the evaluations. Those responsible for course evaluation in the deans' offices also have access to the data. They are trained to handle the data and are also obliged to maintain confidentiality.

In the basic questionnaire, you will be asked to provide your gender, your intended degree, and your semester of study. In addition, a supplementary questionnaire on student diversity can be used to obtain further socio-demographic information, such as the level of education of your parents.

Despite providing this information, you will not be identified at any time by the groups of people who have access to the results. Therefore, the data collected about you is not personal data within the meaning of Art. 4 GDPR. 

The results are only reported back to the instructors and deans' offices in aggregate form, and at least four students must have participated in the survey to provide feedback. The course evaluation staff members who have access to the raw data (see "Who can view the results?") do not at any time have the ability to link your course evaluation data with other internal university databases, such as matriculation or address data, in order to identify you. You cannot be identified by your IP address either, as we do not collect it. In addition, staff members are required to maintain the confidentiality of individual results.

Course evaluations serve the sole purpose of quality assurance at Goethe University. As part of quality management, the department of teaching and quality assurance (Abteilung Lehre und Qualitätssicherung) may also publish the results in aggregated form in appropriate internal university reports. However, the results of the courses must be available from at least five lecturers with at least four participants each.

Course evaluations are also subject to continuous quality control, for which the Department of Teaching and Quality Assurance can conduct analyses based on LVE data.

The course evaluation data will be stored on a secure server at studiumdigitale for 10 years. In paper form, the aggregated results are stored for three years (see §15 (10) of the evaluation statutes of Goethe University).

Since you cannot be identified by your data in the evaluation (see "Am I identifiable?"), it is not possible to delete your data according to Art. 17 EU GDPR or to object to the processing of your data pursuant to Art. 21 EU GDPR.

At no time will course evaluation (LVE) data records be shared with external parties.

The results reports can be used by instructors as they see fit. For example, they can publish them or use them for application procedures. In general, faculties can decide to publish the results after a decision by the faculty council. Nevertheless, the instructors must agree to the publication. In addition, aggregated evaluations of LVE can be used in the context of course development.