A report to the University Senate showed students are more willing to fill out online surveys, or online course evaluations, if they have an incentive — extra credit, prizes or some sort of lottery winning.
But it's things like avoiding incentives that led the senate to look into online evaluations in the first place, and the fact that students didn't seem to put a lot of thought into it when they were handed course evaluations in the classroom.
"This was one of the biggest cultural shifts among the faculty,"
David Pearson, associate professor of exercise science and a member of the University Senate, said.
Brien Smith, who gave the report, said there was a 55 percent response rate among students in the roughly 4,100 courses offered through Ball State.
Provost Terry King said a formal report had been filed, but he didn't know the details off the top of his head. A member of University Marketing and Communications will give a full report during next month's senate meeting, King said.
But the effectiveness of course evaluations isn't Ball State's only concern.
The university still faces a possible $23.4 million budget cut. But it could fare better next time around if the university can secure a spot on the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, which is the first group to offer a recommendation for the state's budget for higher education.
The committee includes one seat for a faculty member from a state university, and that position will come open this summer, John Ledbetter, chairperson of the governance and elections committee, said.
Ledbetter was invited to serve on a committee that will choose the next faculty representative, and he urged Senate members to apply.
With Ball State faring worst in the list of incentive-based funding recommendations, it seems like President Jo Ann Gora's appeals aren't being heard. Having a spot on ICHE would help.
"It's important for us to get as many nominees from Ball State as possible," Ledbetter said.
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