Features of IDQs

Introduction

This article includes information on features available when generating Instructor Designed Questionnaires (IDQs) and administrative reports.

Such features include:

block-ids (which are used to simplify repeated requests for the same set of questions and to identify questions which should be included in an administrative copy of an IDQ report)
team teaching evaluations
group definitions used for comparative ratings

Applicability

This article was written for instructors and support staff at the University of Alberta.

Details

Block-ids for Common or Core Questions

Block-ids are 4-character codes associated with specific subsets of questions. When selecting questions for a given questionnaire, it is possible to include one or more of these subsets of items by simply specifying the appropriate block-id. This feature simplifies the task of requesting a particular set of questions that have been identified for repeated usage over a number of occasions. Please refer to the block-id pages in order to determine the names of the block-ids available for a particular catalog and to display the questions associated with particular block-ids.

Departments or individuals wishing to make use of this feature should contact Test Scoring and Questionnaire Services (TSQS) who will assist with defining and implementing the desired block-id.

Block-ids for Administrative Reports

In addition to the Instructor Report which is intended for the use of the individual instructor, three types of reports may be generated for administrative purposes:

Administrative Copies of the Instructor Report
Aggregate Report
Administrator's Summary

These administrative reports summarize the responses to specific subsets of questions on the questionnaire by building on the idea of core questions and associated block-ids. As many as three Administrative Copies of the Instructor Report, each summarizing the responses to different subsets of questions from the questionnaire may be requested. A mailing address is associated with each administrative block-id at the time it is defined to the IDQ system making it possible to

automate the process of identifying a subset of questions on a questionnaire
summarize the responses to the subset on one of the Administrative Copies
return the special report to the person, e.g., the department chair, who was associated with the block-id when it was defined.

When the first character of a block-id is the digit 1, 2, or 3, the associated questions are summarized on the corresponding first, second, or third Administrative Copy of the report. As this is the purpose of such special block-ids (those beginning with a 1, 2, or 3), it is understood that when an instructor includes one or more of these block-ids on an IDQ Requisition form, permission is granted to generate a report summarizing the responses to the block-id's questions as well as to mail the report to the designated recipient.

The Aggregate Report and the Administrator's Summary may also be generated by special request from the appropriate administrator (the report recipient associated with the block-id indicated on the Requisition Form).

Team Teaching Evaluation

The University of Alberta's version of the IDQ system supports the collection of students' ratings for classes which involve team-teaching. This feature allows for questions that concern the course, per se, and an additional set that are relevant to each of a number of instructors of a single class. The IDQ system addresses this situation in all phases, from generating a questionnaire (which includes the course-related questions, plus as many sets of instructor-related questions as possible on a single form) to providing separate reports for each of the individual instructors appearing on the combined form.

For further information about this feature, please refer to KB0012144.

Reference Groups for Comparative Ratings

The IDQ system accumulates ratings from each class for each question appearing on a questionnaire, in order to provide comparative data on ensuing reports. By default, the comparative data are derived from the reference group consisting of all classes to which the particular question has been administered. Alternatively, you may request that the reference group be restricted to classes having sizes similar to yours. The IDQ system automatically groups classes according to size as follows:

1 - 15 students
16 - 35 students
36 - 100 students
100+ students.

For some of the catalogs, rating data are also grouped and accumulated according to values of three other variables: Faculty, Department, and Course Level. You may request any combination of these variables, including Class Size, to be used in defining the reference group for extraction of comparative ratings. Course Level has six (6) values:

100-level
200-level
300-level
400-level
Grad-level
Service.

Grad-level is assumed to be any course in the 500 or 600 series. The first five (5) of these levels can thus be determined by examining the course number when this is provided at the time the questionnaires are generated. If the data are to be isolated as belonging to a Service course rather than to one of the first five levels, this desire must be noted at the time the IDQ Requisition form is submitted to TSQS. (i.e., before the questionnaires are printed).

Keywords: IDQ system, Block ids, questions, course evaluations, block, ID, id, block-id, repeat question, team-teaching, compare, TSQS