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SRTE Items 2020-present

In the fall semester of 2020, a university-wide experimental SRTE short-form with new items was implemented. The short-form will continue to be used in Spring 2021.

Items A3 and A4 were changed, no items are allowed for Sections B and C, and the University open-ended items were rephrased.

  • A3. Rate how well this course increased your understanding of the course topics.
  • A4. Rate how well the instructor promoted a meaningful learning experience for you.
  • Open 1. What aspects of this course helped you learn?
  • Open 2. What changes to this course could improve your learning?


SRTE Item Choices (Summer 2020 and earlier)

The items numbered A1-A4 are mandatory University-wide.

  • A1. Are you taking this course as an elective? (If uncertain, omit.)
  • A2. What grade do you expect to earn in this course?
  • A3. Rate the overall quality of this course.
  • A4. Rate the overall quality of the instructor.

There are also two mandatory open-ended questions:

  • Open 1: What helped you learn in this course?
  • Open 2: What changes would improve your learning?

Additional Questions Section

Not all academic units use the Additional Questions Section because they feel that the University open-ended questions provide sufficient written feedback from students. We strongly advise against adding questions like "What did you like most?" or "What did you like least?" to your SRTE forms. These questions imply that ratings should be based on students' likes and dislikes rather than on student learning.

For more information on writing additional questions, visit the Schreyer Institute's Pitfalls of Writing Additional Questions or contact them at SITE@psu.edu.



The items in Sections B (Academic Unit) and C (Instructor) are numbered 1-177 below.

Section B includes up to 15 items and C from 0 to 5 items. The choice of items for Section B are selected by the faculty who teach within a course subject abbreviation (e.g. ART, ENGL, MATSE, POLSC). In some cases, faculty and administrators choose a few college- or campus-level items to be included on all forms in Section B.

  1. Rate the clarity of the instructor's presentations.
  2. Rate the effectiveness of the examples used to clarify difficult concepts.
  3. Rate the clarity of the instructor's explanations.
  4. Rate the instructor's skill in using visual as well as verbal communication.
  5. Rate the instructor's skill in relating course material to real life situations.
  6. Rate the clarity of the examples used.
  7. Rate the adequacy of the amount of examples used to clarify difficult concepts.
  8. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's definitions of terms, concepts, and principles.
  9. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's explanations of why certain processes, techniques, or formulas were used.
  10. Rate the instructor's skill in handling students' questions and comments.
  11. Rate the instructor's pacing of lectures and presentations to allow for note taking.
  12. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor as a classroom leader.
  13. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor as a speaker.
  14. Rate the instructor's skill in organizing classroom activities.
  15. Rate the instructor's skill in using a variety of teaching methods.
  16. Rate the clarity of the instructor's demonstrations and explanations.
  17. Rate the clarity of the instructor's interpretations of abstract ideas and theories.
  18. Rate the instructor's skill in using examples and illustrations.
  19. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's discussions of the implications of various theories.
  20. Rate the instructor's skill in communicating at a level appropriate for the students.
  21. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's demonstrations to illustrate the principles which were being used.
  22. Rate the clarity of the instructor's explanations of effective writing principles.
  23. Rate the clarity of the instructor's explanations of writing assignments.
  24. Rate the instructor's availability during posted hours and appointments.
  25. Rate the instructor's willingness to help students make progress.
  26. Rate the students' freedom to ask questions and express opinions.
  27. Rate the instructor's skill in using student opinion to vary the pace of the course.
  28. Rate the instructor's willingness to listen to students' comments and questions.
  29. Rate the instructor's skill in responding to signs of misunderstanding or lack of interest.
  30. Rate the instructor's willingness to help students find other sources of information.
  31. Rate the instructor's skill in maintaining a positive atmosphere for learning.
  32. Rate the instructor's friendliness toward students.
  33. Rate the instructor's treatment of students as individuals.
  34. Rate the instructor's behavior toward students outside of class.
  35. Rate the instructor's conscientiousness in keeping appointments with students.
  36. Rate the instructor's skill in attending to all students equally.
  37. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's advice on how to study for the course.
  38. Rate the instructor's skill creating a climate conducive to learning.
  39. Rate the instructor's confidence in the students' ability to manage course content successfully.
  40. Rate the instructor's attitude toward students as individuals.
  41. Rate the instructor's expectation that students should behave maturely.
  42. Rate the instructor's availability for individual help and consultation.
  43. Rate the instructor's skill in encouraging students to improve.
  44. Rate the instructor's availability to assist students outside of class.
  45. Rate the instructor's respect for students as individuals.
  46. Rate the instructor's skill in motivating students to do their best.
  47. Rate the instructor's interest in whether or not students understood course content.
  48. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's responses to student questions.
  49. Rate the adequacy of the instructor's knowledge of the subject matter.
  50. Rate the instructor's confidence in his/her knowledge of the subject matter.
  51. Rate the instructor's skill in relating course material to other disciplines.
  52. Rate the instructor as an intellectual role model for students.
  53. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's references to other experts to support his/her opinions.
  54. Rate the adequacy of the number of instructor's references to related research.
  55. Rate the instructor's ability to convey his/her experiences with the subject matter.
  56. Rate the instructor's effectiveness in relating skill analysis to coaching cues.
  57. Rate the adequacy of the instructor's references to other experts with different opinions.
  58. Rate the instructor's skill in stimulating students to use the library and other reference materials.
  59. Rate the instructor's skill in teaching computer-aided problem-solving techniques.
  60. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's discussions of professional ethics and responsibilities.
  61. Rate the instructor's skill in relating cases and other exercises to practical situations.
  62. Rate the organization of course material.
  63. Rate the instructor in terms of his/her preparation for class.
  64. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's explanations of what students were expected to learn.
  65. Rate the correspondence between announced objectives and what was taught.
  66. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's summaries of the main points of lectures and discussions.
  67. Rate the instructor's skill in emphasizing main points in lectures and discussions.
  68. Rate the clarity of the syllabus in stating course objectives, course outline, and criteria for grades.
  69. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's explanations on how topics fit into the course.
  70. Rate the instructor's skill in keeping the course on schedule.
  71. Rate the instructor's skill in adjusting the course schedule as conditions warranted.
  72. Rate the instructor's skill in using class time effectively.
  73. Rate the organization of lectures into a coherent sequence.
  74. Rate the instructor's pacing of the course material.
  75. Rate the effectiveness of the integration of instructional materials (textbooks, handouts, overheads, films, etc.).
  76. Rate the clarity of the communication about the course objectives and the subject matter.
  77. Rate the organization of the course in terms of its logical arrangement of material and activities.
  78. Rate the instructor's skill in using the facilities available to maximize instruction.
  79. Rate the adequacy of the amount of class time allotted to various course activities.
  80. Rate the effectiveness of homework and out-of-class assignments as contributing to the learning process.
  81. Rate the instructor's effectiveness in encouraging team strategies in the handling of complicated assignments.
  82. Rate the instructor's skill in converting experimental difficulties into positive learning experiences.
  83. Rate the extent to which the subject matter was developed in a logical sequence.
  84. Rate the extent to which this course was integrated with other courses in the program.
  85. Rate the correspondence between the main textbook and material covered in the course.
  86. Rate the usefulness of papers and term projects in adding value to the course.
  87. Rate the extent to which interest in the subject matter was generated by this course.
  88. Rate the instructor's enthusiasm about the subject matter.
  89. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor in demonstrating the significance of the subject matter.
  90. Rate the extent to which the instructor enjoyed teaching the course.
  91. Rate the instructor's apparent concern about the quality of his/her teaching.
  92. Rate the extent to which the instructor's attitude contributed to a positive attitude about course content.
  93. Rate the instructor's skill in pointing out interesting aspects of the topics covered.
  94. Rate the instructor's apparent interest in teaching the course.
  95. Rate the usefulness of the instructor's comments on papers and exams in indicating errors.
  96. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's explanations of how student performance would be evaluated.
  97. Rate the correspondence between exams and the important aspects of the course.
  98. Rate the clarity of the exam questions.
  99. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's suggestions of ways in which students could improve.
  100. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's suggestion to students about their progress.
  101. Rate the promptness with which graded exams, reports, and other materials were returned.
  102. Rate the appropriateness of the standards set by the instructor for students.
  103. Rate the clarity of the instructor's explanations of how grades would be derived.
  104. Rate the instructor's skill in motivating students to do their best work.
  105. Rate the appropriateness of the difficulty of exams.
  106. Rate the clarity of the instructor's explanations of test grades.
  107. Rate the extent to which the instructor's definition of a good performance was realistic.
  108. Rate the integration of exams into the course content.
  109. Rate the fairness of exams in terms of difficulty.
  110. Rate the instructor's standards of academic integrity.
  111. Rate the effectiveness of exams in testing understanding and not memorization.
  112. Rate the fairness of the overall grading system in the course.
  113. Rate the instructor's awareness of your progress in the course.
  114. Rate the instructor's openness to discussion of other viewpoints.
  115. Rate the flexibility of teaching methods used to accommodate individual differences.
  116. Rate the instructor's skill in changing approaches to meet new situations.
  117. Rate the instructor's receptiveness to constructive criticism.
  118. Rate the instructor's skill in devising ways to encourage student participation.
  119. Rate the instructor's willingness to involve students in instructional decisions.
  120. Rate the extent to which creativity was shown by the instructor in the teaching-learning process.
  121. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's assistance in the development of artistic interpretation.
  122. Rate the appropriateness of the instructor's encouragement of student participation and discussion.
  123. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's encouragement of creative solutions to assigned tasks.
  124. Rate the adequacy of the expressiveness in the instructor's voice.
  125. Rate the adequacy of the volume of the instructor's voice.
  126. Rate the instructor's skill in establishing and maintaining eye contact with students.
  127. Rate the instructor's skill in using rhetorical questions to gain students' attention.
  128. Rate the instructor's skill in varying the pace of presentations to keep students alert.
  129. Rate the instructor's presentations in terms of being free of annoying mannerisms.
  130. Rate the instructor's skill in using humor to keep students attentive.
  131. Rate the instructor's skill in selecting instructional strategies which increase student motivation.
  132. Rate the instructor's skill in handling disruptive student behavior (inattention, talking during class, etc.).
  133. Rate the appropriateness of the instructor's rate of speech to allow time for note taking.
  134. Rate the instructor's skill in handling the presentational aspects of teaching.
  135. Rate the instructor's awareness of the effects of teaching strategies.
  136. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's gestures.
  137. Rate the instructor's skill in using the blackboard/overhead projector.
  138. Rate the appropriateness of the amount of student participation in the course.
  139. Rate the appropriateness of the instructor's demonstrations.
  140. Rate the instructor's skill in stressing important material.
  141. Rate the instructor's skill in encouraging class participation and discussion.
  142. Rate the amount of interest generated by the instructor's style of presentation.
  143. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor's presentations.
  144. Rate the appropriateness of the instructor's teaching methods to allow students to achieve course objectives.
  145. Rate the instructor's skill in motivating you to participate in drills.
  146. Rate the effectiveness of the audio-visual materials in enhancing lectures.
  147. Rate the instructor's skill in encouraging students to think.
  148. Rate the adequacy of the discussions of challenging questions and problems.
  149. Rate the instructor's skill in making class sessions intellectually stimulating.
  150. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor in helping students answer their own questions.
  151. Rate the instructor's skill in presenting divergent viewpoints.
  152. Rate the instructor's skill in pausing after questions to allow students time to think of possible answers.
  153. Rate the instructor's skill in using cues and rephrasings to encourage students to answer difficult questions.
  154. Rate the appropriateness of student participation in the determination of learning objectives.
  155. Rate the instructor's skill in encouraging students to apply concepts to demonstrate understanding.
  156. Rate the effectiveness of the course in improving critical thinking skills.
  157. Rate the effectiveness of the course in improving problem-solving skills.
  158. Rate the effectiveness of the course in stimulating further explorations of the subject matter outside of class.
  159. Rate the instructor's skill in emphasizing learning rather than tests and grades.
  160. Rate the quality of the standards the instructor set for himself/herself.
  161. Rate the helpfulness of the instructor's suggestions about how to make progress in technique.
  162. Rate the importance of the knowledge learned in this course.
  163. Rate the instructor's skill in guiding students to be more independent and self-directed in their learning.
  164. Rate the effectiveness of the course in stimulating you to work harder.
  165. Rate the instructor's skill in giving you new viewpoints and appreciations.
  166. Rate the instructor's skill in presenting viewpoints other than his/her own.
  167. Rate the effectiveness of the instructor in stimulating your thinking.
  168. Rate the effectiveness of the course in enhancing your understanding of the nature of scientific reasoning.
  169. Rate the instructor's helpfulness in developing your writing skills.
  170. Rate the adequacy of the instructor's list of suggested readings.
  171. Rate the instructor's skill in integrating library resources into the course.
  172. Rate the effectiveness of the course in enhancing library skills.
  173. Rate the effectiveness of the course in enhancing research skills.
  174. Rate the adequacy of physical facilities for instruction (classroom/lecture hall, indoor/outdoor lab, etc.).
  175. Rate the adequacy of the instructional resources (texts, A-V equipment, guest speakers, supplies, manuals, etc.).
  176. Rate the appropriateness of the difficulty of the course as compared to other courses.
  177. Rate the adequacy of the amount of information learned in this course as compared to other courses you have taken.