Frequently Asked Questions About ICES

What is ICES?	Where can I find a copy of the ICES Item Catalog?	What does an ICES Questionnaire look like?	How can I order ICES questionnaires for my classes?
Will my teaching assistants receive their own information packets for ordering ICES questionnaires?	What does an ICES Request Form look like?	Does my department have a core?	What are my 3 ICES options?
How many items can I put on an ICES questionnaire?	When is the deadline for turning in requests for ICES questionnaires?	What are the ICES Complete Forms?	Does a student just put the ICES forms in campus mail?
When will I get the ICES results?	Can I get a copy of the ICES Interpretive Guide (M&E Newsletter #4)?	How are ICES Ratings used?	Who has access to my ICES results
What is the List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent... and how can I get on it?	What is the university student publication and what questions do they use?	What is an ICES longitudinal profile?	I want to use the same items I used last semester. Will I have to complete a new request form this semester?

What is ICES?

ICES is the acronym for the Instructor and Course Evaluation System. ICES was developed at UIUC as one way to collect information from students about your courses and teaching. With this system, you select items from a catalog (or choose one of 4 complete forms) that you consider most appropriate.

Your choices generate a questionnaire for students. Near the top of each ICES questionnaire, two general items are preprinted. These items ask students to rate the instructor and the course on a five-point scale, ranging from "Exceptionally High to Exceptionally Low. " The first two general items are used to produce longitudinal profiles which summarize your ratings on items 1 and 2 for all the semesters you've used ICES.

Your department may have a group of questions, called a department core, which are printed on your questionnaire after the two general questions. All UIUC instructors are encouraged to use ICES; some instructors are required to do so. ICES was used in over 11,300 course sections in 1996-1997.

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Where can I find a copy of the ICES Item Catalog?

In addition to the online ICES Item Catalog, hard copies (also known as M & E Newsletter #1) may be available in your department office or from the ICES office - just drop us a note at ices@uiuc.edu or call us at 333-3490.

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What does an ICES Questionnaire look like?

Ices Questionnaire: Front The first two questions are global or general, and are preprinted on each ICES questionnaire. These items ask students to rate the instructor and to rate the course on a five-point scale, ranging from "Exceptionally High to Exceptionally Low." These questions are used to produce longitudinal profiles. 23 instructor-selected questions can fit on the front side of the questionnaire unless your department has a core. A core is a common set of items that appears on all questionnaires from the department. If the department has a core, it limits the number of instructor items to 23 minus the number of items in the departmental core.

Ices Questionnaire: Back Students have space to write comments in response to the following 4 questions: A. What are the major strengths and weaknesses of the instructor? B. What aspects of this course were most beneficial to you? C. What do you suggest to improve this course? D. Comment on the grading procedures and exams. There are 2 spaces remaining on the back. Use these to get student feedback about very specific course issues. You can write your questions on the board or on a transparency and ask students to write their responses in the blank spaces.

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How can I order ICES Questionnaires for my classes?

Fill out one ICES request form for each class section. So, if you have two class sections of a course, you need to fill out two request forms. These forms should be sent to you each semester by the Measurement & Evaluation (M & E) or you can ask for them in your departmental office. Fill out the information requested on both sides of the request forms.

Send the completed request forms in the envelope provided through campus mail to M & E, 247 Armory, MC 528.

The timetable for ICES varies with the academic calendar. However, the deadline for turning in requests for ICES questionnaires comes about three weeks before the end of classes in any given semester. Please allow one week for forms to be printed and sent to you.

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Will my teaching assistants receive their own information packets for ordering ICES forms?

Generally, teaching assistants receive their packets from the departments. When we send out the first ICES mailing of the semester, we ask how many teaching assistants each department has and send that many packets to the department.

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What does an ICES request form look like?

	Ices Request Form: Front Fill out the information requested on Side 1: 1 - 11. One request form is needed for each course section you teach. For information about Side 1: 7 ("Release"), see Who has access to information from my ICES ratings?
	Ices Request Form: Back In order to fill in side 2, you have to decide first which of the three ICES options you can use. Once you've decided what option to use and the number of questions you can ask, go to the ICES Catalog and select the questions. On Side 2 of each ICES request form, darken the circles beneath the numbers of the selected questions.

Each semester, you have to fill out new ICES request forms for each course or section. This is so even if you are using a departmental core or one of the complete forms. Even if the items don't change, the number of forms you need, your rank, and the release information may change. Therefore, you should keep track of the items you choose each semester, especially if you select them individually and think you may want to use them again.

Send the completed request forms through campus mail to M&E, 247 Armory, MC 528.

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Does my department have a core?

To check your department, click Here

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What are my three ICES options?

You can select one of the following three options:

1. Departmental Core plus optional Instructor-selected Items
2. Instructor-Selected items
3. Complete Form

• Option 1: Departmental Core plus optional Instructor-Selected Items

  Each department can designate a set of items called a department core. These items will be automatically printed on each student questionnaire, so you don't have to choose the items yourself. If your department has a core, you may select up to 23 items minus the number of items in the core. To find out if your department has a core and the number of items on it, click here.

  You may want to look at the actual core items before making other questionnaire choices to avoid duplication of questions. Your department office has a list of its core items or call for one at M & E, 333-3490.

  If you do not wish to use your department's core, please contact M & E, 333-3490.

• Option 2: Instructor-selected Items (no department core)

  You may select up to 23 items from the ICES catalog. You may choose a different set of items for each section since you fill out one request form for each section of students who provide feedback.

  Selecting the university student publication option adds another 6 items to your ICES. You also need to know that if you select too many items, some will necessarily be omitted. Questions are printed in this order: departmental core items first (if there is a department core), then the student core items (if selected), and finally the instructor selected items.

• Option 3: Complete forms

  You can select one of 4 complete forms, ready-made questionnaires if your department doesn't have a core, and you don't want to choose items from the catalog. Note: The system doesn't allow for using both a form and instructor-selected items on the same questionnaire.

Caution: Please do not use questionnaires generated in past semesters as they cannot be processed. Photocopied questionnaires are not acceptable either.

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How many items can I put on an ICES questionnaire?

23 instructor-selected questions can fit on the front side of the questionnaire unless the department has a core. A core is a common set of items that appears on all questionnaires from the department. If the department has a core, it limits the number of instructor items to 23 minus the number of items in the departmental core. Click here for a list of department cores.

If you check the student publication option on Box 7 on the ICES request form, your student questionnaires will contain an additional set of items.

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When is the deadline for turning in requests for ICES questionnaires?

The timetable for ICES varies from semester to semester. The deadline for turning in requests for ICES questionnaires usually comes a couple of weeks before the end of classes in any given semester. Please allow one week for forms to be printed and sent to you. During the last week of the semester, a very limited supply of Complete Forms and questionnaires with departmental core items may be available at 247 Armory Building. These will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis until the supply is exhausted. For questions, please call 244-3846 or e-mail ices@uiuc.edu.

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What are the ICES complete forms?

You have the option of choosing a questionnaire with pre-selected items for your ICES. (You choose this option by marking one of the blocks in the right hand column marked Complete Forms on side 2 of the ICES request form. The seven choices available in complete forms are:

Form 1: CEQ: Course Evaluation Questionnaire consists of 21 general concept questions (a good general diagnostic tool).

Form 7: CLQ: Costin's Lecturing Questionnaire contains 23 items primarily applicable to large lecture sections.

Form 8: CDQ: Costin's Discussion Questionnaire contains 23 items primarily applicable to discussion sections or seminars.

Student core: Contains six items which are released, along with the two global items, to the Illinois Student Senate for posting to their web site.

General Questionnaire: Contains nine items designed to be utilized in a broad array of course types.

General Questionnaire plus student core: Combines the above two forms into one form. The results of the six student items will be released (and two global items) to Illinois Student Senate.

Form Global: This form contains only the two general preprinted questions, Rate the Instructor and Rate the Course. Call Measurement and Evaluation at 344-3490 if you want to use the Global form.

If you decide to use one of the forms, departmental core items will not be included on your ICES questionnaires, and you can't add either instructor selected items or the student core.

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Does a student just put the ICES forms in campus mail?

Once your class has completed the ICES questionnaires, it is important that you not handle them at all. Designate a student in the class to collect the completed ICES forms, put them in the self-addressed envelope provided, and then either drop the envelope in the nearest campus mailbox or bring them by the ICES office at 247 Armory.

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When will I get the ICES results?

ICES results are processed after final exams. Results are sent through the campus mail to instructors within about a month. The precise schedule varies somewhat from semester to semester.

NOTE: If faculty wish to view their ICES results before these are returned through campus mail, they can contact our office (ices@uiuc.edu) to arrange for a special visit. Faculty cannot view their ICES forms until after student grades have been posted, but they may have the opportunity to view them before our standard ICES mailing is conducted.

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