FAQ
Below are some of the most common questions we receive from faculty, staff and students. Please review to see if your question is listed. If not, please contact us at fcq@colorado.edu.
Terms of Service
By viewing or submitting Faculty Course Questionnaires (FCQs), you agree to the following Terms of Service (further referred to asÌýTerms). If you disagree with any part of the Terms, then you may not submit, access or view the FCQs. Violation of the Terms may result in having your FCQ submission removed from the report (both numeric responses and comments).
Last updated: November 1, 2018
All individuals submitting an FCQ are required to adhere to these Terms, further, by submittingÌýFCQs you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you disagree with any part of the Terms then you may not submit an FCQ.
The FCQ comment section is a place for the student to offer constructive comments to the instructor regarding their experience in a particular course. The student has the freedom to share their opinion of the class, offer advice or feedback to the instructor, provide context or clarity to their numeric responses, or to respond to a specific prompt provided by the instructor.
Prohibited behaviors
The following behaviors are violations of the Terms. Engaging in any of the following could result in consequences such as having your FCQ response removed, your comment being referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC)Ìýand possible disciplinary action:
- Attacks on protected class. Harassment based on race, color, national origin, pregnancy, sex, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, political affiliation or political philosophy.
- Use ofÌýslurs or other derogatory terms. These are not evaluations of an instructor’s ability, but rather insults and name-calling—in other words, abuse or hate speech.
- Threats and intimidation of any kind. This includes threats of physical violence and use of emotional intimidation to belittle an instructor or alter something about themselves (unrelated to teaching ability) through threats, insults or critiques of personal rather than professional attributes (e.g.Ìýhair style, clothing choices, physical appearance, etc.).
- Impersonation. You may not misrepresent yourself in any written comments, such as portraying oneself as another student or being untruthful about personal details about oneself.
Last updated: November 1, 2018
All individuals viewing or accessing FCQ results are required to adhere to these Terms of Service. By viewing or accessing online FCQ results—which includes working with FCQ data, viewing FCQ response rates, and instructor and department reports, including all FCQ websites, batch reports and digital copies—you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you disagree with any part of the terms then you may not access or view the FCQs.
Types of access
- Public: The numeric FCQ results for core questions are public information and available for anyone to view. The FCQ program makes these available through a public-facing website.
- Private: Student comments and custom question results are not public. Access to these is restricted to select individuals as defined below.
- Instructor: Instructors have access to their student comments and custom question results, but not those of other instructors unless they have report administrator access. This refers specifically to online access of results. Once accessed, the instructor is free to share their results as they please.
- Report Administrator: Report administrators are designated members of departments who have access to all reports within the department, including Campus Labs and batch reports. These are for department use at the discretion of department leadership.
Last updated: November 1, 2018
Reports may be used for data analysis, creating teaching portfolios, and department promotion purposes. Some examples include:
- Compiling reports to analyze department averages
- Using reports as part of the promotion/hiring process
- Using student comments in department promotional/fundraising materials
Department FCQ Coordinators
A department FCQ coordinator serves as a liaison between the department and the FCQ program.ÌýThey should understand and be familiar with the FCQ program's calendar, policies, processes, reportsÌýand resources.ÌýEach department should have at least one FCQ coordinator, with larger departments often having multiple FCQ coordinators.
Be the liaison between the FCQ program and your faculty
- We are a small department and aren’t able to work directly with faculty on a regular basis
- Your role is to be the go-between and communicate FCQ information to your faculty
- Ideally, your faculty will submit requests and questions to you
Be an informed FCQ manager
- Know which classes are getting FCQs and when
- If an instructor wants to know when they are getting FCQs, consult your course audit
Be a data steward
- You are responsible for maintaining your department archives
- The batch reports distributed at the end of each term are your archive copies
- Be sure to download batch reports in a timely manner and save them for use in portfolio building, tenure review, and as your department’s historical record
- Familiarize yourself with the various FCQ reports and where to find them
- Regularly review FCQ course audit and update CU-SIS as needed
- Request FCQ date changes as needed
- Be aware of what classes are getting FCQs and when
- Be aware of when FCQ results are being released and where to find them
- Maintaining a department database of FCQ reports
Please contact the FCQ program if you are a new FCQ coordinator so we can set you up in our system and provide you with some basic FCQ information. We need to know:
- Your name, campusÌýand department
- Your work email address and phone number
- If you are a replacement, additionalÌýor temporary department FCQ coordinator
FCQ Forms
- Boulder form (as of fall 2020)
- Denver form (as of fall 2018)
- Anschutz form (as of fall 2020)
For earlier versions of the FCQ, email fcq@colorado.edu
Ìý
Course Audit
The course audit is a spreadsheet, posted to our website, showing what courses are receiving FCQs, when they are scheduled to be administered, and what course and instructor information the department entered into CU-SIS.
The audit files are first generated a few weeks before each semester begins and are updated every Friday morning.
Please review the audit files at the beginning of (and throughout) each semester!
In addition to the weekly updates, there is a three-week course auditing period when updates are made daily. This audit period runs in March (for the spring semester), June (for summer classes), and October (for the fall semester).
Note: Changes to the course audit are made in CU-SIS, not in the Excel document
The FCQ schedule and course audit are based off of information in CU-SIS. If you need to make changes to class information in the course audit, you must do so through CU-SIS.
The FCQ program can not updateÌýyour classes in CU-SIS. Only your department can make these changes. If you do not have access to CU-SIS, reach out to your department's curriculum manager or whomever sets up the courses for your department.
There are four steps to the course audit workflow:
- Download the course audit Excel file
- Review the course audit Excel file
- Update information in CU-SIS (if required)
- Verify changes in the course audit Excel file (if required)
Downloading the course audit
- The course audits are in Excel files accessible through our course list auditing system:
- Go to Course Audit page
- Select your campus and department(s)
- Review the spreadsheet
- If everything looks fine, you're done — you don't need to make any changes or sign off on your audit
- If changes are needed, you must make them in CU-SIS before they will be reflected on the course audit
Updating information in the course audit
The FCQ schedule and course audit are based off of information in CU-SIS. If you need to make changes to class information in the course audit, you must do so through CU-SIS and via the following pathway:
Main Menu > Curriculum Management > Schedule of Classes > Schedule Class Meetings
How are the FCQ dates set?
Fall and spring terms: Full-term courses (and short-term courses that run the second half of the term) are evaluated during week 14 of classes, as was decided upon by faculty.
Early administrations: By default, FCQs for early ending classes are scheduled for the final week of class. Why? Because many early ending classes are only a week in length. If you have an early ending class but would prefer to do FCQs earlier than the last week, work with your department FCQ coordinator to set that up.
Extended administrations: The FCQ program will never close an administration early, but we reserve the right to extend it as needed, whether due to technical issues, low response rates or the needs of faculty.
Summer classes: FCQs are administered each week and handled the same as early administrations (e.g., default setup for the final week of class).
Verifying updates to the course audit
Changes made by 5 p.m. in CU-SIS will appear in the course audit file by noon the next business day.
- Changes made outside of business hours may take an extra day to appear in your course audit
- If changes made during business hours are not reflected in your course audit Excel file within 48 hours, please contact the FCQ program
- FCQs for combined sections are set up under the sponsoring section only, and all students enrolled,Ìýregardless of which section they are enrolled in.
Custom questions may be submitted at any time, but in order to appear on evaluations within the current term they must be submitted before the FCQ calendar deadline (usually week 7 or 8 of the semester). Questions submitted past the deadline will still be accepted, but they won't appear on the FCQ until the following term. For example, the deadline in fall 2019 was November 8:
- Questions submitted by November 8 appeared on the fall 2019 evaluations
- Questions submitted in December were held until the following term
The deadline date will be posted at the beginning of each term and distributed to FCQ coordinators.
Important: Custom questions can be attached to courses, subjects, departmentsÌýor instructor roles (e.g., primary, secondary, TA), but not to sections or instructors.ÌýIn other words, only submit questions that you plan to use for multiple sections, classes or semesters. For example, if you would like to add custom questions to DCBA-1000, those questions will be asked in each section of DCBA-1000. They can't be restricted to section 002 only. One-time use questions, or instructor-specific questions,Ìýwill not be accepted.
Please submit custom questions to fcq@colorado.edu.
There is no official limit on the number of questions, but we recommend a max of 5 to avoid causing survey fatigue (2-3 is the ideal amount). The more questions there are, the less likely students are to complete them, particularly if there are instructor or open text questions.
For the most part, questions are accepted as is. If there is a situation where we feel that a question could be phrased better, we’ll offer suggestions (our survey team has a lot of experience in question design), but ultimately it’s up to the department if they want to accept the suggested edits.
The only times we would reject a custom question is if it is asking for personal information that might circumvent student anonymity (such as race, gender, etc.) or if it duplicates a question from the core question set.
While asking accreditation questions as custom questions is currently permitted, it is not considered best practice as the FCQ is designed to collect feedback on the course and the instructor. Conflating the FCQ and accreditation questions could be confusing to students completing the evaluation and contribute to survey fatigue. Collecting data for the Self-Study Report is the responsibility of the educational unit submitting the report for accreditation.
The FCQ program is unable to process these results as thoroughly as we do the core FCQ questions, as there are more than 1,000 active custom questions.ÌýOur first responsibility is toÌýcollectÌýand postÌýthe core instrument items.
On request, we can provide you with the raw data for your custom questions.
We are not required to collect your accreditation data or responsible if there are technology failures that disrupt or prevent the collection thereof.
It is STRONGLY advised that these items are not included as custom questions. In 2018, the Boulder Faculty Assembly (BFA) passed a resolution to remove the omnibus questions (rate the course/instructor overall) from the FCQ. The two motivating factors were the potential for bias, in particular how a student's response could be influenced by an instructor's personal identity characteristics, and to reinforce the importance of using multiple measures in teaching evaluations rather than relying solely on course evaluations.
The FCQ program will not compile the results or generate reports for omnibus questions.
FCQ eligibility
Not all classes are eligible to receive FCQs. There are three primary reasons why a class might be ineligible:
- The class type doesn't receive FCQs due to its nontraditional setup or run dates
- Internships, dissertation and similar class types
- Classes that extend across multiple semesters or run beyond the grade posting deadline
- Department has explicitly requested that FCQs not be given
- "Print" box has been de-selected for an instructor
- Departments can request that specific class types not be evaluated
- Enrollment requirements
- In order to protect student anonymity and the integrity of responses, a minimum of three students must be enrolled for a class section to be evaluated
- Combined sections count the enrollment numbers from all sections
Yes. Any enrolled student on the class roster in CU-SIS will receive an invitation to complete an FCQ, including auditors. If an auditor is not on the class roster in CU-SIS, they will not receive an FCQ.
The FCQ program has created a Qualtrics version of the FCQ, which can be administered online. These responses will not be posted with FCQ results, but can be used for evaluation and portfolio purposes.
To access the Qualtrics template, reach out to the FCQ program at fcq@colorado.edu
No. Only classes in CU-SIS will receive evaluations. You will need to enter a class into CU-SIS in order for it to receive evaluations.
Mandatory reporting and FCQs
All CU staff working with Faculty Course Questionnaires are mandatory reporters, which means that we are required to report violations of campus policies to the appropriate campus office:
Boulder:ÌýOffice of Institutional Equity and Compliance
Colorado Springs:Ìý
Denver/Anschutz:Ìý
As part of this duty, we run a text analysis of student FCQ comments at the end of each term, flagging comments that contain keywords that were compiled with the assistance of the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance at the CU Boulder campus.
After flagging, comments deemed reportable are forwarded to the appropriate campus office.
The purpose is to help promote a safe campus environment for students, faculty and staff. For more information on campus policies and resources, please select your campus from the list below.
Boulder Mandatory Reporting
/dontignoreit/when-someone-required-report
/ova/mandatory-reporting-policy-cu-boulder
When is someone required to report?
TheÌýÌýis responsible for addressingÌýsexual misconductÌý(including sexual assault, exploitation and harassment, intimate partner abuse, and stalking),Ìýprotected class discrimination and harassment, and any related retaliation at CU Boulder.
All employees who have the authority to hire, promote, discipline, evaluate, grade, formally advise, or direct faculty, staff or students are considered "responsible employees" and are required to report to OIEC.
This means:
- A responsible employee who becomes aware of sexual misconduct (including sexual assault, exploitation, and harassment, intimate partner abuse, and stalking), discrimination or harassment involving any member of the CU community must report it to OIEC.
- This applies whether the member of our community is the person who was subjected to the misconduct or the person accused of the misconduct.
- This applies regardless of where or when an incident occurred or how the information was conveyed to a responsible employee.
- The purpose of mandatory reporting is to ensure safety, offer support and resources (such as theÌýOffice of Victim Assistance), understand the scope of the concern, and to get the behavior to stop.
- When in doubt, contact OIEC for further guidance at 303-492-2127 or report atÌýcureport@colorado.edu.
What to Report
If you are considering reporting a concern, you can explore your options. There are skilled people who deal with a range of harmful behaviors that impact members of the CU community.
If you are a responsible employee looking to better understand your obligation to report,Ìýread moreÌýabout what mandatory reporting means and when it applies.
Discrimination & Harassment
Unfair treatment, abusive words or expressions, or intimidating behavior aimed at any member of the campus community based on an aspect of identity protected by CU Boulder policy is reportable to the university.
Learn more about reporting discrimination and harassment.
Sexual Assault, Stalking & Abuse in a Relationship
Sexual behavior that is unwanted, unwelcome, or not consensual, abuse within an intimate or dating relationship, and stalking are reportable to the university and/or police. The policy applies to current or past behavior, on or off campus, whether the perpetrator is known or unknown.
Learn more about reporting sexual assault, stalking, and abuse in a relationship.
Hazing & Other Abusive Conduct
Hazing refers to any activity expected of someone joining a group (or to maintain full status in a group) that humiliates, degrades or risks emotional and/or physical harm, regardless of the person's willingness to participate and is reportable to the university.
Learn more about reporting hazing.
Concerns Â鶹ÊÓƵ Someone
If a member of the CU community is a potential threat to themselves or others, or appears distressed, withdrawn, depressed, anxious, or in crisis, you can make a referral to case managers on campus who will outreach to the person of concern and offer resources and supportive services.
Learn more about reporting concerns about someone.
Classroom Disruptions
Behavior in a classroom or an academic setting (e.g., office hours or conversations with a faculty member) that interferes with normal academic functions is considered disruptive and there are options for addressing concerns. This doesn’t mean civil discourse or disagreements within an academic setting, but rather behavior that hinders the educational process. This applies when the behavior is directed at other students or faculty members.
Learn more about reporting classroom disruptions.
Ethics Concerns
There are resources for understanding the university standards for ethical behavior in academics settings, research activities, and professional conduct. This page includes links to policies and guidelines, and information about where to report concerns of ethics violations or research misconduct. There are also options for anonymous reporting.
UCCS Mandatory Reporting
Reporting Requirement
A responsible employee who witnesses or receives a written or oral report or complaint of sexual misconduct, protected class discrimination and harassment, or related retaliation must promptly report it to the Title IX Coordinator/Office of Institutional Equity (OIE). A failure to report this information promptly to the Title IX Coordinator/OIE is a policy violation.
If an individual discloses an incident to a responsible employee who by definition is a mandatory reporter, but the individual wishes to maintain privacy and requests that no investigation be conducted, that no disciplinary action be taken, or that the allegation not be reported to law enforcement, the responsible employee remains required to report all relevant information to the Title IX Coordinator/OIE.
Who is a Responsible Employee?
A responsible employee is any employee who:
- Has the authority to hire, promote, discipline, evaluate, grade, formally advise, or direct faculty, staff, or students;
- Has the authority to take action to redress sexual misconduct as defined herein; and/or
- Has been given the duty of reporting incidents of sexual violence or any other misconduct by students to the Title IX Coordinator.
Examples of responsible employees include, but are not limited to: faculty, teaching assistants, residence advisors, academic advisors, coaches, supervisors, and anyone who leads, administers, or directs University programs.
*This does not include any medical, mental health, Ombuds, or counseling office personnel, in addition to any other offices covered by a statutory privilege or designated in campus procedures as not subject to mandatory reporting to the University.
How to Report?
Call the Office of Institutional Equity Main Line at 719-255-4324, email us atÌýequity@uccs.edu, or fill out ourÌý.
Why Does a Responsible Employee Have to Report?
- To ensure that the Complainant, the person alleging the misconduct is safe. In addition to addressing the concerns, the Office of Institutional Equity often partners with other UCCS resources to ensure the Complainant is receiving all the support the individual needs during a time where they are often anxious, stressed, and confused.
- To understand the true nature and scope of the Complainant’s concerns. Often, Complainants only tell the responsible employee a fraction of what has been going on with the Respondent(s). The OIE provides a safe environment for the Complainant to discuss their concerns in depth. In exchange, the OIE can address those concerns by learning who is involved, what has been occurring, why the Complainant believes the conduct is occurring, and what the Complainant would like to see happen.
- To get the behaviors to stop. In order to enforce the policies, the OIE must be aware of the concerns. The OIE has been tasked with ensuring employees are acting in accordance with the policies and is in the best position to promptly and consistently address concerns across the campus.
Denver Mandatory Reporting
Reporting Obligations
Any faculty or staff member who is considered a Responsible Employee, as defined herein, who witnesses or receives information regarding possible prohibited protected class discrimination or harassment is required to promptly report the information to the Office of Equity or his or her designee. Such information about the alleged conduct, where possible, should include:
- Name of the alleged complainant(s);
- Name of alleged respondent(s);
- Name of any alleged witnesses; and
- Any other relevant facts, including the date, time and specific location of the alleged incident.
All other individuals who become aware of an incident of Prohibited Conduct are highly encouraged to report all known details about the Prohibited Conduct to the University Office of Equity by telephone, email, in person, or through the University’s online Incident Report Form.
The University may have an obligation to report to the police, keeping the name of the victim confidential, in circumstances where the incident includes an allegation that a crime has been committed.
Student responses on FCQs are anonymous to instructors and department leads, and the identities of respondents are confidential. No student names appear in the processed FCQ data and will never appear in public reports.
However, when legally required, we will identify a student to the proper person or agency. This is a very rare occurrence and is only done when legally required, such as when a member of the CU community (students, faculty, staff, etc.) threatens to inflict serious harm on themselves or others. For more information about confidentiality, click on the link for your campus below:
Boulder:ÌýOffice of Victim's Assistance
Colorado Springs:
Denver:Ìý