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Below are Frequently Asked Questions about Student Perceptions of Teaching (SPOT) specific for Deans and Department Chairs: please click on each question to see its answer.
If you have any additional questions, please email spot@unt.edu.

Does my department have to administer SPOT?

Yes, departments may opt to administer additional departmental evaluations, but every department at the university must administer SPOT.

When will SPOT be administered?

Session Dates and Survey Administration Dates for the spring session are listed below.

SESSIONS

SESSION DATES

SURVEY ADMINISTRATION DATES
Regular Academic Session

January 13 - May 9

April 14 - May 1

8W1

January 13 - March 7

February 24 - March 6

8W2

March 17 - May 9

April 28 - May 8
How do I choose the appropriate form for my course?
Each department will set its own protocol about how forms are chosen. Faculty should check with their departmental coordinator (in most cases, this person will be the department chair's assistant). A list of the 15 different types of forms can be found in Appendix A in the Dean/Chair Reference Guide or on the SPOT website.
When do I need to decide what form I am using?
This decision will be made at the departmental level. Faculty will need to check with their department chair and/or department coordinator to find out the date. Decisions should be made no later than three weeks prior to the survey launch.
How do I know if an evaluation was set up for my course?
Faculty will receive email notification as soon as an evaluation is created by the departmental coordinator for their course.
Why was an evaluation set up for my course?
House Bill 2504 mandates that public universities administer end-of-course student evaluation surveys. Although SPOT is administered at UNT to meet this state requirement, the ultimate goal is to use the results to improve teaching effectiveness. Classes excluded from evaluation include special problems courses not linked to larger enrollment classes, theses and dissertation enrollment, and classes with only 1-2 students enrolled.
How can I preview the evaluation survey?
You can preview the survey by logging into the faculty portal (https://unt.iasystem.org/faculty), selecting the term/session of your course and clicking on "Preview" under the "Action" column.
Can instructors in my department add their own instructor questions to the survey after it is created?
Yes, instructions to add individual questions can be found in the SPOT faculty user guide here: https://spot.unt.edu/content/deanchair-user-guide. When you receive notification that your survey has been created, you will be prompted to add your questions.
When instructors add a question to their survey, will the chair see the results?
Yes, instructions to add individual questions can be found in the SPOT faculty user guide here: https://spot.unt.edu/content/deanchair-user-guide. When you receive notification that your survey has been created, you will be prompted to add your questions.
How do students access the evaluation survey?
Yes, the response to instructor's additional questions will be incorporated into the final report which is accessible to the chair.
Will student access the SPOT on their MyUNT portal?
There will be a SPOT icon on the MyUNT portal that will provide students further instructions.
How can I tell how many students have completed the evaluation?
You can monitor your completion percentage in the faculty portal (https://unt.iasystem.org/faculty) once the evaluation is open to students.
Will I be able to see the names of students who have completed the survey?
No, but students receive an automated confirmation email immediately upon submission of their completed course evaluation.
A student has dropped out of my class, will they still be able to complete the survey?
No, the course list is uploaded into the system after the last official drop date, therefore the updated class list should reflect the most current students enrolled in your class at the time of the survey administration. A data refresh of the student enrollment will be done the day before the survey administration is open.
May I have student comments removed from my evaluation?
Students are informed that all comments that contain coarse or violent language and/or content, or derogatory remarks about the person's gender, race, sex, religion, national origin or other personal characteristics will be removed and not taken into consideration. Faculty shall contact their Department Chair and Provost Office (spot@unt.edu) to have such comments removed.
How can I view survey summary reports?
Reports are available via the faculty portal (https://unt.iasystem.org/faculty). Release dates for reports will be three days after grades are posted for the semester. Instructions for pulling a report can be found on the SPOT website (https://vpaa.unt.edu/spot).
If I am asked to submit student evaluations for teaching performance, will I need to include SPOT results?
When submitting evidence of teaching effectiveness at the University level (tenure and promotion/faculty awards), SPOT evaluations must be submitted. This is not to preclude other measures of teaching effectiveness.
How do I interpret the results?
IASystem forms include FOUR summative global questions to allow cross-class and cross-instructor comparisons. Visit the SPOT website for directions on interpreting reports. (https://vpaa.unt.edu/spot)
My department has specific questions they have been using for years that we would like to use for comparison data, how do we add these?
IASystem has created a template form that each department can utilize. This form includes the four summative global questions for institutional comparisons, but the opportunity exists for departments to create their own specific form. If your department is interested in this option, please contact spot@unt.edu at the beginning of the current semester.