Abstract
University academic departments, in order to meet the requirements of their larger institution and accrediting bodies, are issuing increasing numbers of surveys evaluating students’ perceptions of their academic experiences. As curricula increase in complexity and institutions compete for enrollment numbers, students are being asked to participate in surveys with greater frequency. This increased feedback requirement can result in a dozen or more surveys competing for student attention in the final weeks of the semester, leading to survey fatigue, low response rates, and poor-quality feedback. This report features a self-study of an academic department's evaluation practices with an intent to reduce the burden while still meeting evaluation requirements. The report also includes recommendations for how the department can better deploy evaluations and improve communication to create a culture of feedback between faculty and students in future evaluation cycles.
