Blue – Course Evaluations for Students

1. Log in to learn.bu.edu using your BU login name and Kerberos password. 
2. A pop-up window may appear with a list of your open evaluations and a link to each for easy access. If you do not see this window, continue from your homepage.
   
   
3. Select Institution Page found in the left side-pane, and then click on My Surveys and Evaluations to display your evaluations in a new page. You will be directed to your Subject Management page. More on the Subject Management page can be found in the section below.
   
   
4. Select an evaluation from the list to begin. For more information on completing evaluations, see the section below.
   
   EVALUATION LIST FEATURES
   a. Evaluation – Displays the evaluation name and link.
   b. Evaluation status – Indicates the evaluation status. The status can be Open (not yet started), In Progress (started but incomplete), or Completed (submitted and nothing left to do).
   c. End date – Displays the deadline to complete the evaluation.
   d. Continue – Allows you to continue completing an evaluation that has not been submitted yet. You will find this in evaluations with an In Progress status.
   e. Start Now – Allows you to begin an evaluation that has not been started yet. You will find this in evaluations with an Open status.

Email

If you received an email for your evaluation:

1. Open the email.
2. Click on the link provided in the email’s message. You will be directed to your list of evaluations.
   
3. On the page that opens, log in with your Kerberos credentials.
4. From the Blue website, select an evaluation from the list to begin. For more information on completing evaluations, see the section below.
   
   EVALUATION LIST FEATURES
   a. Evaluation – Displays the evaluation name and link.
   b. Evaluation status – Indicates the evaluation status. The status can be Open (not yet started), In Progress (started but incomplete), or Completed (submitted and nothing left to do).
   c. End date – Displays the deadline to complete the evaluation.
   d. Continue – Allows you to continue completing an evaluation that has not been submitted yet. You will find this in evaluations with an In Progress status.
   e. Start Now – Allows you to begin an evaluation that has not been started yet. You will find this in evaluations with an Open status.

Blue central page

In addition to receiving an invitation by email or finding your evaluations on Blackboard, you can access all your tasks by going to bu.edu/courseeval/. This is the Blue central page.

Once you have logged in, select an evaluation from the list to begin. For more information on completing evaluations, see the section below.

EVALUATION LIST FEATURES
a. Language – The only available language at this time is English.
b. Sign Out – Sign out of your profile.
c. Search bar – Allows you to perform a keyword search and locate a specific evaluation.
d. Reset – Reset search filtering options to default.
e. Sort – Sort evaluations listed on the page.
g. Evaluation – Displays the evaluation name and link.
h. End date – Displays the date that this evaluation is set to end.
i. Status – Indicates the status. An evaluation can be Open (not yet started), In Progress (started but incomplete), or Completed (submitted and nothing left to do).

Once logged in, you have arrived at the first page of your evaluation. Your survey form may look different for each evaluation you complete, so please read the instructions carefully.

• Click Start Now to begin your evaluation.

  

You may have more than one page to complete in your evaluation. On each page:

• Select or input responses that most accurately reflect your opinion.
• Click Next to access the next page.

  

a. Mandatory question – A red asterisk next to a question means the question is mandatory and must be completed in order to continue.
b. Summary – Opens the summary page, which displays a list of all questions and the responses you have provided. Note: Not all surveys include a Summary page.
c. Save – Saves your responses, which allows you to exit the evaluation and come back at a later time. Note: Some surveys may not allow you to save your responses until submitted.
d. Previous – Opens the previous evaluation page allowing you to change your responses.
e. Next – Opens the next page in the evaluation.

You may be presented with a page asking you to choose your instructor:

1. Select one or more instructors.
2. Click Next to continue the evaluation.

   

You have reached the end of your evaluation when you see a Submit button.

• Click Submit when you are done, and a thank you message should appear.

  Note: Your evaluation is not complete until you click Submit and see a thank you message.

  

Not every evaluation has a Summary page, but when it is present, this is the final page, so remember to submit your survey at the bottom.

On the summary page you can:

• Click Modify to change your response to a question. You will be taken to the proper place in the evaluation so that you can update your response.
• Click Submit when you are done. You should see a thank you message after submitting.

  Note: Your evaluation is not complete until you click Submit and see a thank you message.

  

After submitting, you may see additional evaluations listed. If so, you can continue to your next evaluation.

• Click Start Now to open the next evaluation.
• Click View All if you wish to view the complete list of all of your evaluations in a new page.

  

Blue is integrated with Blackboard, so you will see reminders when you have an open evaluation to complete. Alternatively, you can click the link in the email sent to you reminding you to fill out your surveys. Finally, you can also go directly to the course evaluation website at bu.edu/courseeval/.

All responses are kept confidential, and reports never include student names. However, in certain extreme cases, such as threats of violence or self-harm, the University can use Blue to identify the respondent. Only top-level administrators in IS&T are able to access that information. Individual faculty cannot see any identifying information whatsoever. Additionally, be sure not to include your name or any identifying information in open-ended (comment) response questions.

After the evaluations close, all responses from students in the course are compiled and provided to the instructor in an aggregate form, either presented on a webpage for them to see or provided in a PDF document. Results are not released to faculty until after final grades are due to the Registrar.

In addition to the instructor, reports are also made available to academic leads (deans, chairs, et al.) as well as specifically designated department administrators (e.g., academic development, faculty support, et al.).

In order for reports to be released to instructors and departments, the course section must meet a response threshold. This also applies to cross-listed (“meets with”) courses – the total combined number of responses must meet the threshold. Students in smaller courses should still complete the questionnaire, and their feedback will be included in higher-level department reports, but not individual section reports so there is no risk of identification.

You can click the green “Get Help” button at the top of this page, or you can send an email to ithelp@bu.edu for assistance. Be sure to use your BU email address!

Each school/college or academic unit has a contact for course evaluations – the list of contacts can be found here: Course Evaluation Contact List

Because course evaluations are de-identified and results are presented in aggregate, you should make every effort to fill out as much as you can on the questionnaire. However, if you have feedback that you are not comfortable putting on the survey or a question you do not want to ask the school/college, you may write to courseeval@bu.edu. This email is monitored by the Office of the Assistant Provost for Academic Assessment and the IS&T Platform Administrator for Assessment Systems. While the contents of your email will be kept strictly confidential, emails through this system are not anonymous, and you may be contacted for a follow-up.