Course feedback submitted using the Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) system is how you make your voice heard — to the instructor, to the university, and to other students! Your participation enables the university as a whole and your instructors to fulfill their mission of academic excellence. It also helps other students select courses and instructors using feedback from past students about what the instructor is like.

If you have questions or issues at any point, please submit a general inquiry request, and a SET team member will contact you.

Getting started 

Your course instructor should provide the dates for the course evaluation period. If your instructor isn't certain when the evaluation period begins and ends, ask them to contact their departmental SET coordinator.

There are three ways you can access your online course evaluation: email, Canvas or direct login to the system.

Email notification

You will receive a notification in an invitation message sent directly to your official WSU email account that you have a course to evaluate. This will include a link that will take you directly to the evaluation form. Please check your junk or spam folder in case it is routed there by your email application. If you forward your WSU email to a personal email account, check there as well.

Canvas course menu link

There is a Student Evaluation of Teaching link in the course menu in Canvas.

• To get to this, log into Canvas.
• Click on your course.
• Look in the course menu on the left.
• This link will be present for all courses, whether or not they are scheduled for evaluation. If you click the link and get a message like, “Thank you for participating," then no input is needed from you in the online system.

Direct login

You may log in to the Student Evaluation of Teaching system directly using your access ID and password.

Opting out

We strongly encourage you to submit course feedback, but it is not a requirement. Keep in mind that if you do decide to opt out, it is irreversible.

Can’t find your course in the list of classes to be evaluated? 

Please note that this process is not used for all courses at this time, so ask your instructor to confirm that they are using the online Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) system for course feedback. If your instructor has confirmed that you should have received an email notification to complete a survey, please ask them to inform their departmental SET coordinator that the email notification wasn’t received.

Completing your evaluation

Student comments are welcome whether they are positive or negative; course feedback is how you make your voice heard.

Feedback should be specific, clear, and constructive

The most helpful comments include specific suggestions based on facts, expressed using clear language and examples, and offer ideas for constructive solutions. When ideas are expressed clearly and constructively it helps your instructors know how to improve their teaching methods. It can also help them improve course materials.

Resist bias

As you complete the course evaluation, make an effort to resist stereotypes about professors. Focus your comments on the content of the course — the assignments, textbook, and in-class material — avoid unrelated matters such as the instructor's appearance.

Feedback will not affect your grade

Completing your course survey will NOT affect your grade. Comments cannot be linked back to you in any way. Evaluations are not released to the instructor until after the evaluation period has ended and grades have been posted.

You also cannot see your grades before you complete your evaluation. You will receive your final grades through the registrar after the evaluation period is over. 

My instructor mentioned special questions about the course

To answer special questions provided by your instructor, please see the section called Instructor-supplied items, near the end of the evaluation form. Simply click on the drop-down menu and select your response.

Missing the deadline

If the evaluation period is over and you have missed the deadline, it is up to your instructor and the departmental SET coordinator to determine if an extension is possible. Start by asking the instructor about an extension. 

After you submit feedback

A confirmation message will display once you have completed and submitted your feedback.   

We recommend that you take a screenshot of the confirmation message — some instructors request proof that you participated in exchange for extra credit. 

After you see the confirmation message, please remember to log out of your WSU account completely. This is especially important if you are using a lab or other shared computer to complete your course feedback.

After the evaluation has ended and grades are posted, feedback comments are released to the instructor.

Evaluation is final upon submission

When you submit your instructor and course feedback, it is final. Because feedback is submitted anonymously, there is no way for you to re-open or edit it once you have submitted your feedback. This is to protect your privacy. Be sure that you are satisfied with your evaluation before you submit it, as you will not be able to re-open or edit it.

Be sure that your comments are about the course and instructor they are intended for. When you submit your evaluation, it is final. It cannot be deleted, revised or re-submitted. Because feedback is submitted anonymously there is no way to open or edit it once submitted. 

Any other issues

If you have any other issues or need help, please submit a general inquiry request. Please include the instructor's name (AccessID, if available) and course name/number. Entering more information is always preferable than less, and will allow us to provide more detailed assistance to you.

NOTE: Once you submit your request, the Cherwell Portal page will appear which indicates your request has been received. We will try to complete your request as quickly as possible. For quick turnaround, please provide as much detail as possible on the form that is selected.