The Student Perceptions of Teaching (SPOT) system is a valuable tool that instructors can use to get student feedback on their teaching at the University of Iowa. All courses with their administrative home in CLAS use SPOT feedback surveys.

  • SPOT feedback surveys are required for any regularly scheduled course.
  • Individual departments and instructor may not modify the SPOT questions.
  • CLAS students may access the forms through ICON or MyUI.
  • After logging in through ICON, students and instructors will see the evaluation dashboard. Students will find their surveys for all of their UI courses using the online system listed on this page.
  • Instructors are able to access their course feedback results around three days after grades are posted. At the same time that instructors can view the results of the surveys, DEOs (or a delegate) may also review survey results, but generally these results are highly confidential.
  • All results from course feedback surveys are accessible to the instructor as long as the instructor has a valid HawkID and password, with access to these materials available online. Results should also be downloaded and saved by the instructor or by the department. (See below for more information on the use and keeping of online evaluation forms.)

Best practices for student feedback on teaching

Procedures for feedback must ensure that student surveys are anonymous and not influenced by the instructor.

Institutions using online forms have found that asking students to complete feedback surveys during class results in more robust results. 

  • Schedule a time for students to complete the SPOT surveys in class once the online form has opened.
  • Remind students to bring their smart phone, laptop, or tablet to class.
  • Tell or show students how to access ICON and the Student tab which links to the SPOT surveys.
  • Allow enough time for the survey. Some instructors set aside time in the middle of the class for this activity so students do not rush through the survey in order to leave early.
  • Inform students that the process is important to the instructor for improving the course and that recommendations are taken seriously.
  • Remind students that the instructor does not have access to the results until after grades have been submitted and that all forms are completely anonymous.
  • Instructors may email students without the students' identity being revealed to remind them to complete the SPOT forms.
  • Instructors may also view at the site how many forms have been completed and the percentage not yet done.
  • Instructors should continue to encourage students to complete the forms until the forms close.

Optional mid-term feedback surveys

Some instructors find it beneficial to have a mid-term or earlier feedback survey for their own use. Instructors may devise their own feedback instruments using the online Midterm SPOT Check. Instructors who choose to use such instruments should assure students that these surveys are optional and are anonymous.

These surveys are for the instructor's use only and do not need to be kept or shared with others and are not added to the "official" SPOT answers or scores.

Viewing and keeping student feedback surveys on file

Course surveys may be accessed by the instructor after grades are posted; at the same time, the surveys are made available electronically to the departmental DEO and to the DEO delegate.

Surveys may be downloaded and saved as PDF or MS Excel files, which also can be emailed or printed.

Instructors should save all student feedback surveys in a personal file. As long as instructors have a valid HawkID and password, they will have access to their individual reports. These surveys are stored indefinitely online and must be included by instructors in all reviews of teaching assistants and of tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty, according to CLAS policy.

More information about student feedback surveys, best practices, and dates of availability are all available at the SPOT web pages.