Texas A&M University Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation

Adding SCE Items

Instructors have the option to add additional questions before the survey starts. It is essential to review the existing SCE questions beforehand to prevent redundancy and ensure that any additional questions are relevant and valuable. Below are the walkthroughs for adding SCE questions as an instructor:

PDF

Download the PDF walkthrough.

Video

Watch the walkthrough video.

*Below is an example of the results viewed by department when instructor chooses to insert questions with the "Instructor Only" option. 

Accessing SCE Results

Instructors have direct access to the Student Course Evaluation (SCE) results via "My Dashboard" or the "Report Library" within HelioCampus.

*Department Heads and SCE liaisons have access to department-level results through both HelioCampus and HelioCampus Dashboard.

1. On the My Course Evaluation widget, click the three dots and select Past Evaluations for a list of completed evaluations.

 

2. Click View Results to produce an SCE report that can be downloaded via CSV, Excel, PDF, or print. 

 

  • Analysis of Student Course Evaluation by Instructor – This report allows users to generate a report that displays SCE results for a specific instructor or teaching assistant. Users can select whether to include student comments items in the report.
  • Course Section Trend Analysis  -This report will organize the data collected by surveys utilizing the same survey template and allow the user to compare the results to another set of aggregate results. For example, a department can compare both their overall results and specific survey question results to their College or the Institution if the same survey template is used.   Another option is to compare the course section result with the aggregate course results. The user can choose to display choose multiple statistics for comparison purposes.  Please note that this report will generate a large data set that often will require the user to export the results to review the data. 
  • For access to previous evaluations (prior to Fall 2020), submitted electronically, use the Instructor Login at https://pica.tamu.edu.

Mid-Term Evaluation

Mid-Term Student Course Evaluations (SCE), also known as "Early Feedback," are not mandatory but can be administered upon instructors' request. The feedback is intended solely for instructors' use and remains confidential. Results are not reported to or accessible by the department. 

Currently, the option for Mid-Term SCE is only available for courses scheduled in the regular terms. However, if instructors teaching a course in a partial term would like to conduct a Mid-Term SCE, they can submit a request to OIEE (assessment@tamu.edu) for administration.

Mid-Term evaluations typically take place during the 5th or 6th week of the 15-week semesters. Instructors are responsible for adding their own SCE questions to their respective course sections. Additionally, a general instructor-only text question, "Kindly share any general comments about this course to facilitate early feedback." will be included for all elected courses undergoing evaluation.

Instructors who opt-in to participate in the Mid-Term SCE must submit the course opt-in request form no later than the end of the 3rd week of the 15-week semester (refer to the specific dates below). This ensures sufficient time to set up the evaluations.

 

Below are the two steps for instructors to participate in the Mid-Term SCE:

Step 1: Use your TAMU email address (Net ID) to fill in the Course Opt-In Request Form. After submission, an email confirmation will be sent to your email address.

Step 2 (Optional): Add questions to the respective course section(s). If no questions are added, only the open-ended question will be included for early feedback.

 

Dates for Spring 2026 Mid-Term SCE:

Last Day for Instructors to Submit Request Last Day for Instructors to Add Qs in HelioCampus (AEFIS) Open Date Close Date Results Available Date
Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026 Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026 Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026

 

Mid-Term Evaluation FAQ

What is Mid-Term Evaluation?
Mid-Term Evaluation is an opportunity for instructors to get feedback from students about their experience in a course early in the semester. It is a formative assessment opportunity with results available only to the faculty member to assist with enhancement of teaching practice. This contrasts with end of term evaluations which are summative assessment and are also available to the department. 

Note: instructors should click Configuration Options and select “Instructor Only” while adding SCE questions. This ensures student responses are only accessed by the instructor. 
Why do Mid-Term Evaluation?
Mid-Term Evaluation allows instructors to find out about the student experience in their course - and the students an opportunity to influence that experience - early in the term, when there is time to make adjustments.
How is Mid-Term Evaluation conducted?
The appraisal is conducted online through HelioCampus: https://tamu.aefis.net.
What questions are asked for Mid-Term Evaluation?
Instructors are responsible for adding their own SCE questions to their respective course sections in HelioCampus (AEFIS) before the survey open date. Instructors should click Configuration Options and select “Instructor Only” for each question. This ensures student responses are only accessed by the instructor and no additional users associated with the course (Department Head, Department SCE Liaisons, etc.). 

Additionally, a general open-ended text question, "Kindly share any general comments about this course to facilitate early feedback." will be included for all elected courses undergoing evaluation. 
What do I tell my students about Mid-Term Evaluation?
It is strongly recommended that instructors tell students they are participating in Mid-Term Evaluation and emphasize that they want and are looking forward to seeing student feedback. Faculty enthusiasm for the process can positively impact response rates.
How can I participate in Mid-Term Evaluation?
Instructors should submit the Course Opt-In Request Form by the "Last Day for Instructors to Submit Request". A notification email will be sent to instructors once their course(s) has/have been assigned for Mid-Term Evaluation in HelioCampus. Follow the steps to add evaluation questions before the survey open date.

Once Mid-Term Evaluation opens, HelioCampus will send a reminder email to the students. It is always a good practice for instructors to remind students about the early feedback opportunity, and emphasize their interest in student feedback. To increase response rate, consider allowing time in class for students to complete Mid-Term Evaluation on their laptop, tablet, or smart phone. The link is: https://tamu.aefis.net 

Instructor SCE FAQ

Can Teaching Assistants (TAs) be evaluated through HelioCampus?
Yes, though for TAs to be evaluated in HelioCampus they must be added via Compass. This can be done by working in collaboration with the department's scheduling representative or other individual with equivalent Compass access. The TA must be listed in the SWASECT Compass screen using the AC_TA-Teaching Assistant role with name, UIN and official university email address. 
What can I do to encourage my students to complete student course evaluations?
Here are a few tips to increase the response rate for your course evaluations:
  • For courses being delivered face-to-face or through synchronous online delivery (i.e., Zoom), give students time in class to complete the evaluation.
  • Tell students how you have used feedback in the past to improve the course –Showing students their feedback is read and used shows students their feedback is valued.
  • Send reminders directly to the class – Reminders from the instructor are much more likely to prompt a response than a blast email from HelioCampus or OIEE that often gets ignored or automatically deleted.
  • Monitor response rates and incorporate into messages – Setting a class target for response rates and challenging the class to meet the target can motivate students to respond. 
Can I request for an individual student response to be removed?
Individual responses to student course evaluations shall not be removed from the overall results.
Can I use incentives to encourage students to complete the SCE?
With regards to the use of incentives (or negative consequences) to motivate students to complete student course evaluations, the Faculty Senate Resolution provided below remains in place until such time as the Faculty Senate so chooses to revisit the existing resolution:

Faculty Senate Resolution FS.27.122: RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate opposes granting academic credit of any kind to students for completing course evaluations of any kind or instructor evaluations of any kind. 

This would include incentives such as bonus points.
Can I add my own questions to SCE?
Yes. Instructors can add questions before the survey starts. See above for instructions.
How can I find public SCE results?
TEC 51.974 requires student course evaluations of Instructors be available to the public.  Results from student course evaluations can be found on the Public Class Schedule Listing.
  1. The course evaluation results can be accessed by first choosing the term. and subject.
  2. Once the subject and any other criteria is chosen, clicking on the Title of the course will bring up the details of the course section.
  3. A “Course Evaluation” link is listed under the "Section Details".
  4. In addition, advisors and students are able to view the evaluations from the course listings on their respective class schedules in Howdy.
Student course evaluation results are available approximately 4-6 weeks after the semester ends. 
Can I request for a Mid-Term Evaluation/Early Feedback for my course(s)?
See the previous section on this page.
How can I find the SCE open/close dates for my course(s)?
If you're teaching a course in regular terms, please find the open/close dates here. For courses scheduled under a partial term, HelioCampus is actively working on incorporating the accurate open/close dates for each course you're teaching. Before they implement these improvements, please refer to this walkthrough to find the SCE open/close dates for your course(s).
How can I activate the Course Evaluation link in my Canvas course?
By default, the Course Evaluations link is enabled for direct access to HelioCampus for every Canvas course. If this does not appear in your course navigation, we highly encourage you to enable the Course Evaluations link. 
Can I request Course Evaluation if my course is automatically waived from course evaluation?
The following class schedule types are exempt unless requested otherwise by department or instructors: Competition; Independent Study, Internship, Practicum, Private Lesson, and Research. If you'd like to opt in, please submit the Opt-In Form here.