SIRS — The Student Instructional Ratings Survey

The Student Instructional Rating Survey (SIRS) is a University-wide survey of students for their comments about their experiences in the classroom. The results are used by the individual instructors, departments, schools and the University for the assessment and improvement of teaching. Faculty members are asked to provide summaries of the student survey statistics for personnel decisions, such as tenure, promotion or merit-based pay. All members of the University have access to the summary statistics from these surveys on-line at http://sirs.rutgers.edu. Results prior to 2001 that are not available on line are archived at the Rutgers University Libraries.

Online SIRS

It is our intention to shift the Student Instructional Ratings Survey (SIRS) to an online format using Sakai as the infrastructure by Fall 2010. This will provide a more efficient and effective process eventually leading to quicker return times for comments and results. For Summer 2009 all courses will have their surveys in the online system. For Fall 2009, we are working with individual units to move to the online format. Please contact us if you want to move your courses into the online system, or refer to our procedures for the online SIRS system. Other courses will continue to use the paper survey.

Each student registered in courses that use the online system will receive an email giving them directions as to how to complete the survey for their respective class. The surveys are available during the final weeks of the class. It is only be open to students enrolled in the class as per the official roster (updated daily). The summary data from the student responses will be reported anonymously as they are now in the paper system (please refer to our privacy policy regarding student authentication, confidentiality, and anonymity).

The processed data from the survey and the comments made by the students on the online form will be compiled quickly and returned online through Sakai shortly after the official grading period ends.

We would appreciate any comments from the faculty on the online Sakai SIRS system as we continue to develop and improve it. You may read more about the process and the information that students receive. If you would like to see how the system works from the student perspective, please contact us and we can add you to our "SIRS demonstration".

Instructions for Conducting and Interpreting the SIRS

Sample SIRS Documents

Note: CTAAR generally tries to avoid calling the this process "teaching evaluations". The evaluation of an instructor's performance is an ongoing process that should include peer review, construction of a teaching portfolio, and an assessment of student learning outcomes in addition to student ratings. "Rating survey" is a more accurate term for this one facet of the teaching evaluation process.

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