Staff FAQs

- SELT survey questions

In addition to the SELT core items, staff members are able to include one personalised question in the survey. Student responses for this additional/optional item are included in the SELT summary report.

At the start of the request period for additional (optional) item, staff will receive an email invitation from CEI, inviting them to request an optional item for their SELT survey; the email will contain a unique link to request an optional item.

Alternatively, staff can request an optional item via LEO during the specified request period; for further information on how to request an optional item for a SELT survey via LEO click here.

The additional item forms the fifth Likert scale item in section B of the survey relating to your teaching (see SELT core items). All items in section B start with the stem “Overall, [Lecturer/Tutor name]…”; therefore the optional item should follow the stem and focus on an aspect of an individual’s teaching practice/behaviour that they wish to seek feedback on. Like the other items in this section, the students have the option of selecting one of the following responses to this optional item: Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree or Strongly Disagree.

Some examples of optional items include:

Overall, [lecturer/tutor]...

• provided clear instructions for completing the assignment task.
• provided opportunities to demonstrate and share my [specific knowledge/skill] in classes.
• teaches in ways that emphasize the relevance of this unit to my future profession.
• supports the learning experience of online student.
• shows interest in my welfare and learning by reaching out.
• helped to increase my confidence in……[specific aspect of knowledge/skill development].

Students will receive an email invitation from CEI, requesting them to complete their SELT survey(s). The email will contain a unique link to the SELT survey(s).

Students can access the SELT surveys via the emails sent by CEI, as well as through the Evaluations block in LEO.

As an ACU teaching staff member, you will receive an email notification from CEI, inviting you to request an additional (optional) item for your SELT survey via a unique link. Alternatively, staff can request an optional item via Canvas during the specified request period. Instructions for requesting an optional item are provided in the email. Please be aware that late requests for an optional item will not be accepted. Any delay in this process has serious implications for conducting and reporting all SELT surveys in the university for a study period.

Depending on your role in the unit, you can include an additional survey item in each section of the standard SELT survey:

• Section A (on unit aspects): Lecturers in Charge (LiC) and National Lecturers in Charge (NLiC) can include one survey item related to the unit from the predefined list.
  Access the Staff Guide | How to include an Optional Item in Section A
  
  
• Section B (on teaching aspects): All teaching staff can include one personalised survey item related to their teaching in the unit.
  Access the Staff Guide | How to include an Optional Item in Section B

Examples of optional items for Section B (teaching aspects) include:

Overall, [lecturer/tutor]...

•  provided clear instructions for completing the assignment task.
• provided opportunities to demonstrate and share my [specific knowledge/skill] in classes.
• teaches in ways that emphasize the relevance of this unit to my future profession.
• supports the learning experience of online student.
• shows interest in my welfare and learning by reaching out.
• helped to increase my confidence in…… [specific aspect of knowledge/skill development].

SELT survey dates are determined by the official published dates for end of teaching period (semester, terms, etc.), and the published dates for the release of exam results (i.e., published on the University web pages) that are approved by the Academic Board. Please refer to the SELT survey schedules below:

• SELT Survey Schedule 2024 Second Half

Evaluations CEI send students an email invitation with a unique link to access their survey(s). Additionally, students can access their SELT survey(s) by navigating to the 'Surveys' option in their Account profile within the Global navigation or from the unit navigation in your Canvas course.

For teaching staff names to be linked with units for online surveys, verification by the respective Faculty or School nominee on the Data Integrity Gateway (DIG) is essential. It is extremely important that the information on the DIG system is verified.

At the appropriate time, all staff teaching in ACU can access the DIG to view the units (if any) that they are linked to for the relevant study period, and therefore all staff should alert the respective Faculty or School nominees when they notice any omission or error.

To ensure your name is associated to the correct unit, please liaise directly with your Faculty/School nominee who has the responsibility to verify information on the DIG system for the next cycle of unit/teaching evaluation.

Your SELT report will include Section B (teaching aspects) data only if feedback from a minimum of 5 students is provided on your teaching in the survey. If this threshold isn't met (i.e., less than 5 students provide feedback), you'll only be able to view the Section A (unit aspects) data of the survey.

SELT reports are only generated if feedback for the unit is received from at least 5 students. If this threshold isn't met, a unit report isn't generated.

The university provides applicants with an Achievements Summary for Promotions that includes relevant metrics. For further details, please refer to the Schedule 3 - Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide.

Please contact Evaluations.CEI@acu.edu.au for feedback or any enquiries related to SELT surveys.

Response rates are an area of ongoing concern to staff and institutions alike. It is a requirement from TEQSA that institutional surveys receive response rates of 35% or more.

The strategies that are used in ACU include:

• Communication from the Provost to staff and to students on the importance of the feedback process.
• Individual emails to students to invite and to remind their participation in surveys.
• Live updates to staff on response rates during survey periods to teaching staff members.
• Faculty weekly response rate reports.
• Positive incentives to students for participating in surveys.
• Reminders through screen savers in ACU computer labs and signage on all campuses.
• Campus level promotion, by student association executive at evaluation stalls and through class visits, in the first week of survey period for a semester.
• PowerPoint presentation and video for staff to use in their classes.
• Marketing information such as bookmarks in the library for students and staff posters.
• Social media posts.
• Early grade release strategy for semesters.
• Student evaluation access on LEO.
• Staff and students guides.

Students have said that they are more likely to complete the surveys if they are reminded in class, and if they see some value in completing the surveys.  CEI will continue to work towards developing a stronger marketing campaign which promotes student participation in online evaluations.

Yes, each staff member will receive a link which will allow them to view the number of invited and number of responses for each survey which includes the name of that staff member. Staff members can also log into LEO and view their real-time response rates for their survey(s). Please note that the facility to view live response rates becomes available after the survey has been open for one week during a semester. For information on how to check response rates on LEO click here.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: Staff members will not be able to identify the status of any students or who has completed the evaluation.)

For instructions on how to access your current and previous evaluation reports, please click here.

Lecturers/tutors will receive an email notification indicating the reports are ready to be viewed, and the email will contain a unique link to their reports. Reports can also be accessed via LEO – click here for step-by-step instructions.

Click here to view the SELT survey schedule (optional item request period, survey start and close dates, report release dates, etc)

No, CEI generates all reports after the SELT survey periods have closed for a particular survey cycle (i.e., first half cycle or second half cycle).

For more information on interpolated median values click here. 

You may also find useful information in relevant policies and procedures.

Once the SELT surveys close for a specific study period, CEI undertakes necessary preliminary data verification and releases interim reports. The SELT survey schedule indicates approximate reporting times. Relevant staff will receive an email with a link to their interim report(s).  Access to interim reports is removed when final reports are released, and the web link in the interim report email will no longer work.

Final reporting is undertaken twice each year, for all study periods within the First Half or Second Half of the year. Final reporting requires significant data verification. Relevant staff will then receive another email containing a link to their final report(s).

No, access to surveys or reports is made available based on the LEO log in details. This is to ensure only the relevant staff member has access to reports.

The Head of School (or equivalent) may decide to share summary information from part A of the survey report with others teaching in the units, as part of the quality enhancement/assurance process.

In accordance with the Evaluation of Learning and Teaching procedures, SELT reports will be available to relevant Head of School (or equivalent), Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching), the Executive Dean and the Provost.

Reports can be saved either as an HTML file or as a PDF file. Reports may also be printed directly from the web interface. Staff are encouraged to download and save their SELT reports,

See FAQ 15

1. Requests should be made at least a month (ideally 2-3 months) prior to the date the survey data will be needed. The relatively long lead time is necessary in order to accommodate the tasks associated with such a request (data extraction, collation, analysis, verification, etc.) along with the standard survey processes that must take place as scheduled.
2. The initial request for data will need to be through the Faculty office, the Associate Dean – Learning and Teaching (ADLT) or equivalent and sent to the CEI (CEI@acu.edu.au) email account. The reason for this protocol is that CEI staff are responsible for (a) ensuring data security on behalf of the University, and (b) maintaining an appropriate mechanism for enabling restricted access to reports based on confidential student feedback processes. Given that the exact organisational structure within a Faculty can change at any given point in time, CEI is unable to keep track of all the changes that place across the University (including, who has been assigned the responsibility for the review of a specific course). Authentication of the request is assumed when it is made via the respective Faculty office.
3. The above request process is currently being reviewed to enable a streamlined means of obtaining required data for course reviews. Changes (if any) to the process is likely to be implemented in 2022.

The Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) was a benchmarking survey administered at all Australian universities (see QILT webpage for details on current benchmarking surveys). The Office of Planning and Strategic Management (OPSM) liaises on behalf of ACU, and the results of national benchmarking surveys are made available to ACU staff through the Data Hub. Further information is available at SharePoint site (Office of Planning and Strategic Management - Home (sharepoint.com)).