Information for academics

SELT request process instructions

1. Course convenors must complete the eForm that is emailed to them on dates outlined in the SELT timetable.
2. Course convenors must complete an eForm for each of their classes, including the names of all associated teachers who delivered at least 10% of the course.

Promotional Materials 

To ensure high response rates to SELT evaluations, engagement and promotion from academic staff is highly encouraged. We have created resources to assist teaching staff in promoting SELT to their students, available under Reference Documents.

Frequently Asked Questions (Academics)

Mandatory SELT

SELT becomes mandatory from Semester 2, 2020.

What has changed?

Previously, the course element of SELT was run for all applicable classes in Semester 1 and 2, and the teaching element was opt-in. For Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring sessions, both course and teaching elements were opt-in.

From Semester 2, 2020, SELT surveys, including both course and teaching elements become mandatory, regardless of semester or session. Course convenors are required to identify all teachers in their course. Teachers are defined as any member of academic staff who delivered 10% or more of the course.

What do College Student Administrators need to do?

Information in the Student Administration System (SAS) must be accurate, including course start and end dates and course convenor names.

It is particularly important for Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring course start and end dates to be accurate in SAS. These dates will be used by the updated SELT Request eForm to trigger an auto-submit event if a form is not submitted by a course convenor. The consequence of inaccurate dates could include a survey running when grades have been released to students, potentially jeopardising student feedback objectivity.

What do Course Convenors need to do?

Course convenors must complete and submit the SELT eForms they receive by the specified deadlines. The eForm includes a drop down menu for easy selection of teaching staff, designed to streamline this process. Convenors must include all teachers who contributed 10% or more to the delivery of the course, which may include lecturers, tutors, guest lecturers, demonstrators or other teachers. The Associate Deans (Education) can advise on any uncertainty, and approve exemptions if necessary.

What is the consequence of not submitting a SELT eForm?

If a SELT eForm is not submitted, an automatic process will be initiated to ensure that the course element is run. A report will also be sent to each College Associate Dean (Education) (ADE) outlining any incomplete eForms (i.e. no teaching staff identified). This is intended to facilitate communication between the ADE and relevant staff about this new process.

It is considered a breach of ANU survey policy to not request teaching surveys for all applicable teachers. The consequences include depriving teachers of feedback for self-development and promotion purposes as well as depriving students the opportunity to provide specific teacher feedback.

Requesting SELT surveys

How are SELT surveys requested?

Course convenors will be emailed a survey request link for each of their courses. The request is made through an easy-to-use eForm, allowing the convenor to select all the teachers who contributed to the course.

When is the best time to submit my SELT request eForm?

Semester 1 and 2 eForms can be submitted at any time in the defined submission window.

For non-standard (Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring) sessions:

•  After you receive your SELT request eForm, the best time to submit it is after you believe enrolment numbers are generally stable. In other words, when you think most/all of the expected number of students have enrolled. This is because the survey recipient list is generated when the eForm is submitted. Waiting until most/all of the students have enrolled in the course ensures that as many students as possible have the opportunity to provide feedback.
•  Your request should also be submitted at least five working days before the survey start date (if possible), allowing enough time for processing by the Institutional Research team. For example: if your course starts on the 4 Feb, your students generally enrol the week before and you would like the survey to be deployed to students on the 22 Feb, then you should submit the eForm sometime between the 4-15 of Feb.
•  If you are unsure and would like some advice about survey dates, please contact the Institutional Research team.

Are SELT surveys mandatory?

Yes. Convenors are required to request SELT surveys, including teaching surveys for the teachers in their courses.

SELT-applicable classes are confirmed by the Associate Deans (Education) before each teaching session.

Exceptions to mandatory course evaluation are possible if SELT survey questions are not appropriate for a course type, such as thesis based courses, or if there are extenuating circumstances. Exceptions by extenuating circumstances are very rare and must be approved by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic).

What is the grade release date and why is it important?

The grade release date is the date students receive their course results. This occurs on the same date for all courses run in either Semester 1 or Semester 2, but varies significantly for courses run in Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring.

SELT surveys are scheduled to close before the grade release date, to avoid student feedback being adversely affected by grades. Similarly, academic staff cannot view their SELT survey results until after the grade release date, to avoid grades being adversely affected by student feedback.

Who should I request teaching surveys for when completing the eForm?

From Semester 2, 2020, all teachers who delivered at least 10% of a given course must be included in SELT. This can include convenors, lecturers, tutors, guest lecturers, instructors, demonstrators, etc. Teaching surveys are useful for self-reflection on the teaching and learning experience and for seeking promotion. Students will be able to select which specific teachers they wish to provide feedback on when they complete their surveys.

As a course convenor, don't forget to include yourself if you also have a teaching role in the course.

Who do I contact to change course data, such as course convenor or course dates?

Each College will have one or more designated staff performing this role. Reaching out to your school admin team in the first instance should enable you to request changes to course information most efficiently.

What do I need to know to set my survey start and end dates for a non-standard session?

Due to non-standard (Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring) courses running at varying times, there are no fixed start and end dates as is the case for Semesters 1 and 2. It is up to the course convenor to decide the survey start and end dates for courses in non-standard sessions.

Typically, a survey should start approximately 80% into the teaching component, and finish after all assessment has been undertaken by students, including exams. The survey must close before the grades are released to students.

Consequently, the eForm will also ask you to identify the date by which the course results will be submitted for processing. For non-standard sessions this is taken to be the earliest possible grade release date.

I received an eForm but am not the convenor. How can I get an eForm reassigned?

If you receive an eForm and are not the relevant course convenor, you are advised to pause the form without submitting and contact the Institutional Research team. They will be able to re-assign the form for you.

General SELT

How do students complete an online student survey?

Students will be emailed a survey link for each class they are enrolled in for that session, sent to their ANU email address.

The invitation emails will be sent from the ANU Institutional Research team (evaluations@anu.edu.au).

In addition to invitation emails, unique links to surveys will also be available in WATTLE. These links will be in the Evaluations (SELT) block located at the bottom of the WATTLE dashboard.

Are survey responses confidential?

Yes, beginning with a pilot in Summer 2021, all responses are confidential.

Confidential feedback means that information about who provided SELT feedback will not be disclosed to course convenors or teachers. ANU can identify a student response in very specific circumstances, including cases where there is concern for student or staff welfare, or comments that breach the Student Code of Conduct.

It may be possible for teachers to identify students through the specific feedback that they provide, or due to small class sizes. The University's policy and procedure specify that staff must act ethically with student feedback.

How do I access my results?

Qualitative course and teaching results (with student comments) are made available to relevant staff in ANU Insight on dates outlined in the SELT Timetable.

Information on using Insight can be found on the SELT results page.

Quantitative course results (without student comments) are published on ANU Insight for surveys that have received 5 or more responses.

Can I access my results earlier?

Academic staff can request their SELT results earlier than the dates specified in the SELT Timetable, but only after certain conditions have been met: students must have received their grades, and the College, School or Examinations Office must have confirmed this.

You can request course and/or teaching results early by emailing the Institutional Research team and confirming that grades have been released for the class(es) in question. This confirmation must take one of the following forms:

•  An email from a College representative who is a Student Administration Manager, or a more senior person (e.g. College Manager, Associate Dean Education).
•  An email from a School representative who is a School Manager, or more senior person (e.g. Head of School)
•  Any email correspondence from the Examinations Office confirming release of grades to students.

 Who is able to view SELT results?

Qualitative course results (with student comments) are available to the relevant course convenors, lecturers and tutors on ANU Insight. Individual teaching results are provided to the teacher and will also be available to their relevant management line and the College and University Executive.

Quantitative course results (without student comments) are available to staff via ANU Insight. Staff and students can also view these results on individual course pages via Programs and Courses.

When will results be released for non-standard sessions (Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring)?

SELT results are released after grades have been released to students. In order to standardise this process for non-standard sessions, Spring and Summer results are released at the same time as Semester 1 results, and Autumn and Winter results at the same time as Semester 2, as outlined in the SELT Timetable. Results can be requested earlier than these scheduled dates on request, but the Institutional Research team will first require evidence that grades have been released.

Can I publish my teaching survey results?

Yes, you are welcome to publish your own teaching results. However, it is recommended that any open-ended comments identifying an individual are anonymised or removed fully before publication.