As a student, you have a prime opportunity to shape teaching and learning across Temple — and to help the university save more than a million sheets of paper in the process. All that is required is a few minutes of your time and some honest feedback.

Last summer, the university launched a two-year experiment to replace paper course evaluation forms with electronic Student Feedback Forms (e-SFFs), with the aim of making the change permanent. Now responsibility for the success of the initiative rests squarely on the shoulders of Temple students.

“In order to make a permanent switch, we need a robust e-SFF return rate from students,” said Chris Dennis, associate vice provost for undergraduate studies.

The university hopes to achieve a return of at least 50 percent, a rate that would outpace many other universities, said Dennis. During Summer I and Summer II sessions, some professors saw returns that were even greater. The key is to build a culture in which completing the forms is second nature, he said.

One major advantage of e-SFFs is that they can be completed just about anywhere using smartphones, tablets and laptops as well as on a desktop computer. And just like regular paper course evaluation forms, the online responses are discreet and confidential — instructors receive only numerical reports and comments, and only after the grading period ends.

In addition to the valuable feedback they provide to Temple instructors, the evaluation forms play an important role in matters such as reappointment, merit, promotion and tenure considerations. In aggregate, the data are used to help assess teaching effectiveness across university departments, schools and colleges.

“Ultimately, it is students that are the beneficiaries of this effort,” said Dennis. “E-SFFs give them an opportunity to have a direct, constructive voice in shaping the development of courses at Temple. In this way, courses, too, can be ‘Temple Made.’”

Students can access e-SFFs either via the TUPortal or directly at http://esff.temple.edu through Sunday, Dec. 9, the night before final exams begin. The faculty and staff Committee on Course and Teaching Evaluations/Student Feedback Forms is overseeing the e-SFF and other course assessment efforts.

“As I teacher, I told my students that I value their feedback in my English 922 “Shakespeare in Movies” class,” said Dennis. “Past comments have helped me to develop the course in important ways, and the students’ thoughtful analysis is always important.”