FAQs for Deans

When does the new system replace SUMMA?
The new online Student Survey of Teaching Effectiveness (Blue) is scheduled to replace SUMMA in Spring 2015.

Will deans’ offices need to do anything after students complete their surveys (equivalent to collecting and submitting them for processing)?
No.  The administration of the new teaching effectiveness survey is done completely online.

Will deans’ offices be responsible for any processing or report generation?
No.  ​Processing of submitted surveys and report generation will be done by the Registrar's office.

What type of reports will be provided?
Reports for the faculty, as well as aggregate reports by subject area, department, school, and university will be provided. 

  1. Faculty receive reports for their respective courses.
  2. Deans receive reports for their respective faculty and aggregate reports for their respective subject areas, departments, and school
  3. Provost’s office receives copies of each dean’s aggregate reports, as well as an aggregate report for the university.

In what format will reports be provided?
Reports will be provided both in .pdf and web-based formats.

  1. Reports are searchable by faculty or course.

Can reports be downloaded?
Yes.  Reports can be downloaded either as Excel or .csv files.

How will the faculty be notified of their reports?
The faculty will receive an email from the Registrar's office when reports are available.  The email will contain a link to their own reports.  Reports will also be available in Canvas on faculty members’ course dashboard – Courses tab--> Teaching Effectiveness Survey.

  • Faculty will be able to access their survey reports 48 hours after grades are submitted.

​How will the Provost’s office be notified of its reports?
Reports will also be available in Canvas – USF Resources tab --> Teaching Effectiveness Survey.

What do the averages on the report mean?
The average is calculated based on the survey’s 6-point Likert scale, where 1 is Strongly disagree, 2 is Disagree, 3 is Somewhat disagree, 4 is Somewhat agree, 5 is Agree, and 6 is Strongly agree.  

Interpreting the Averages

  • The Response Average is the average of students’ semester responses for the course listed on the report
  • The Department (DPT) Average is the average across all the semester courses in the department associated with the course listed on the report.
  • The School (SCH) Average is the average across all the semester courses and departments in the school or college.
  • The Teacher Average is the average across all the semester courses taught by the named instructor.
  • The USF Average is the average across all courses surveyed in the semester.

Who should I contact for support?
If you have trouble logging-in to the system, contact the ITS Helpdesk at itshelp@usfca.edu or 415-422-6668. All other questions should be directed to course.evaluations@usfca.edu.