Course Evaluations Overview
Student evaluations of courses are an important tool for improving the quality of teaching and learning at the Harvard Chan School. Course instructors value students’ honest and constructive feedback, and the school uses these evaluations to make improvements to courses and to the overall quality of education here. We ask that the feedback students provide should be specific, focused, and respectful. It should also address aspects of the course, the teaching, and commitment to the learning experience, that are positive as well as those that need improvement. Keep actionable insight in mind.
Please see the below sections for further information about Course Evaluations at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Office of Educational Programs at oed@hsph.harvard.edu.
Course Evaluation Policy
Evaluating Courses
All courses with an enrollment of three or more students are evaluated at the end of each term, with few exceptions (e.g. labs and independent and research study sections).
Instructors are also encouraged to request mid-course feedback from students should they feel it could benefit their course. The Office of Educational Programs allows instructors to opt in to a Mid-Course Feedback survey, but instructors may use any means they wish to elicit formative feedback from students.
Early Grade Access and Confidentiality
Completing all available evaluations will provide you with early access to your grades before the official Registrar’s grade release date.
All responses are confidential. Your individual response is never viewed by anyone. Instructors receive a report after the evaluation window is closed with aggregated data and de-identified comments.
An instructor will never see evaluation data before they submit their grades or before the end of the evaluation window. Instructors may only access evaluation data after the evaluation window closes, which is also after the grading deadline. Even if an instructor was late to submit their grades, a filter is applied in the course evaluation system so that evaluation reports for a course are never released to an instructor until they have submitted all grades for that course.
Reports
Evaluation reports for each course are made available to instructors the day after the evaluation window closes, provided all grades are submitted. These reports contain information on the course as well as all instructors and all Teaching Fellows associated with the course. This information is de-identified and aggregated
Evaluation reports for each department are made available to an assigned departmental administrator several days after instructors receive their reports. These reports contain overview data on all courses within the department. At this time, the department administrator also gains access to the instructor reports for courses associated with their department.
Evaluation reports for each course are made available to Teaching Fellows one week after instructors receive their reports. These reports contain information on the course and the individual Teaching Fellow receiving the report. Teaching Fellows do not receive information about other Teaching Fellows on their course. At this time, the department administrator also gains access to the Teaching Fellow reports for courses associated with their department.
An abridged public-view version of the report for each course is made available to all Harvard stakeholders (accessible via HarvardKey) one week after the evaluation window closes. These reports contain some information about the course and the instructor, but no information about Teaching Fellows.
How are course evaluations used at the School?
Course evaluations are used in many ways:
- By course instructors to improve their courses and teaching
- By departments and programs to assess and improve courses and curricula
- By various committees to assess and improve teaching and learning effectiveness
- By teaching fellows to improve their teaching and classroom effectiveness and as part of their teaching portfolio when looking for jobs after graduation
- By your fellow students when selecting courses
- By award committees for selecting the School’s annual teaching award winners
Course Evaluation Timeline AY 23-24
One the final Monday of each term, you will receive a direct link in an email to access your course evaluation forms. You may also access your evaluations through Canvas. The evaluation window stays open for three weeks, spanning the last week of classes and two weeks after your course ends.
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System Opens
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System Closes
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Public Release
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June
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Tuesday, June 20, 2023 |
Friday, July 7, 2023 |
Monday, July 17, 2023 |
Summer 1
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Monday, July 24, 2023 |
Friday, September 1, 2023 |
Monday, September 11, 2023 |
Summer 2 & Summer
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Monday, August 14, 2023 |
Friday, September 1, 2023 |
Monday, September 11, 2023 |
Fall 1
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Monday, October 16, 2023 |
Friday, November 3, 2023 |
Monday, November 13, 2023 |
Fall 2 & Fall
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Monday, December 11, 2023 |
Friday, January 5, 2024 |
Tuesday, January 16, 2024 |
Winter Session
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Monday, January 22, 2024 |
Friday, February 9, 2024 |
Tuesday, February 20, 2024 |
Spring 1
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Monday, March 4, 2024 |
Friday, March 22, 2024 |
Monday, April 1, 2024 |
Spring 2 & Spring
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Monday, May 6, 2024 |
Friday, May 24, 2024 |
Monday, June 3, 2024 |
Mid-Course Survey Timeline AY 23-24
Instructors may ask students for mid-course feedback at any point in the term, and there is a variety of ways in which instructors may gather this feedback. One option is to opt in to the Mid-Course Feedback Survey which the Office of Educational Policy has developed through our course evaluation platform. This survey works with the following dates:
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Instructors can Opt In from first day of Term
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Mid-Course Feedback Survey is Distributed
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Mid-Course Feedback Survey Closes (23:59)
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Fall 1
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Monday, August 28, 2023 |
Monday, September 11, 2023 |
Sunday, September 17, 2023 |
Fall
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Monday, August 28, 2023 |
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 |
Sunday, October 15, 2023 |
Fall 2
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Monday, October 23, 2023 |
Monday, November 6, 2023 |
Sunday, November 12, 2023 |
Spring 1
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Monday, January 22, 2024 |
Monday, February 5, 2024 |
Sunday, February 11, 2024 |
Spring
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Monday, January 22, 2024 |
Monday, March 4, 2024 |
Sunday, March 10, 2024 |
Spring 2
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Monday, March 18, 2024 |
Monday, April 1, 2024 |
Sunday, April 7, 2024 |
Accessing Evaluation Reports
For Students and Other Harvard Community Members (Harvard Key required)
For ONLY Teaching Fellows (Harvard Key required)
- Starting Summer 2020, all Teaching Fellow reports can be accessed in Blue Explorance
- For TF course evaluations prior to Summer 2020, please contact the Office of Educational Programs at oed@hsph.harvard.edu.
For ONLY Faculty (Harvard Key required)
Chan Student Evaluations of Courses at Other Schools
Each year, we survey Chan School students on their experiences in courses they took in other schools. Often, it’s especially useful for our Chan students to hear what their peers think of the courses that other schools offer. Please see the reports below for ratings and comments that HSPH students have provided on courses for which they cross-registered.
Identifying Resources to Improve Your Course
Please visit the Office of Education’s Teaching and Learning website to learn more about the network of teaching and learning support mechanisms and how to get help at Harvard Chan
Explore Course Syllabi through Syllabus Explorer
Harvard Syllabus Explorer is a web application developed by the Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning (VPAL). Syllabus Explorer combines registrarial data and syllabi from Canvas to give users the ability to search for and download syllabi across Harvard. Explore course syllabi, discover new courses, and find course reading lists — all collected through Canvas.
Short Video Tutorials (Click to Watch)
Submitting and Viewing Course Evaluations as a Student
Viewing Current Blue Reports and Dashboard as a Faculty Member or TF
Viewing Prior Academic Year Reports in Blue
Public View Course Evaluation Sharepoint for Evaluations Prior to Summer 2020
Faculty & Administrator View of Course Evaluations Prior to Summer 2020