It’s that crazy time where the semester is rapidly coming to an end. Finals are about to become the main focus of our lives, and we all have to start thinking about next semester. December is always usually one of the craziest months during the fall semester. Around this time of year, we are all just trying to pull it together and make it to the finish line until the last day of finals.
The thing is that we still have another week of classes before we approach finals week. Right now, is that time in the semester when most of my professors have asked me to fill out the course FCQ’s. Most of the time, the thought of even having to complete extra stuff on top of my already massive to-do list could send those FCQ’s to the back of my to-do list.
It most likely never helps either when most faculty members tend to bring up the subject of filling out FCQ’s right at the end of class. By time class ends for me, my mind focuses on my next task at hand. Most of the time, I have spaced out on the whole concept of FCQ’s, as I’m sure many of us have. What changed my mind about FCQ’s was when a Faculty member that I highly respect and admire explained the importance as to why FCQ’s matter in this Faculty member’s case. It was at that moment that made me realize why FCQ’s are so important, and why it is that we need to fill them out every semester.
For those who don’t know what FCQ’s are, FCQ’s are the Faculty Course Questionnaires that the University emails us at the end of every semester to fill out to evaluate a faculty member’s class as well as their performance in the classroom.
The purpose of FCQ’s are for faculty members to know what the students thought of their classes alongside their teaching. FCQ’s can take anywhere from five mins to about max fifteen minutes max to complete. The timing depends solely on how much time you can set aside for the FCQ’s as well as how detailed you would like to be about your FCQ.
I know that we might think that by filling an FCQ applies strictly to faculty members just by the name of it alone, but that’s not the whole truth. An additional fact to FCQ’s is that we, as students, also benefit from filling out FCQ’s just as much as faculty members do.
YES! REALLY! One of the reasons why filling out FCQ’s is beneficial to students is because FCQ’s can help you plan out your next semester’s classes.
You can also post your FCQ’s onto a website called ratemyprofessors.com.
You can make an online account and be a part of the CU’s Rate my Professors website. This website is our version of what we would fill out for our faculty member’s FCQ’s. All you would have to do first is make an online account. You can then fill out your honest thoughts, and rate your faculty members as well as their classes. On the website, you can decide to submit your ratings anonymously. No one would know that it was you who wrote it!
The upside to that, too, is that you can also search a faculty member’s name for the course name you would like to know more about and know if that class is a good fit for you. You can also search for the class name of the course you would like to take, and it will also provide information on people’s experience of that said class. Keep in mind that the website is solely based on people’s personal opinions. This website is a tool for deciding courses for next semester, but keep in mind that their experiences might be different from yours. Think of Rate My Professors as an additional tool to help you have that other resource besides just having word of mouth.
For those of you who would like an additional source for planning out your classes for the semester, there is another CU website where your FCQ’s can have a considerable impact.
Uloop is another teacher rating website where you can voice your FCQ’s about faculty members. This website focuses more on the faculty member individually rather than giving you someone’s class experience. This website can be a super helpful tool when figuring which faculty members fit your preferences for the kind of classes you would like to take.
If you won’t fill out FCQ’s because, perhaps, that’s not a tool you like to use to plan out classes…. Then I think there’s another excellent reason as to why students should fill out their FCQ’s at the end of every semester!
Every time you fill out your FCQ, you can have the freedom to express your honest and most exact opinions about the class and or the faculty member who teaches that class. The best part is that your teacher will never know if it’s you or not because the FCQ’s are anonymous. I think it’s incredible to be able to have an opportunity like that to be able to fill out your experience in a class or about a faculty member. For me, that’s power in a cup that I get to swallow every time I get to fill out an FCQ for every one of my classes. I think that’s amazing that we get to have as students who attend college.
If that reason is not your niche, then I guess another right way to think about filling out why you should fill out your FCQ’s for all your classes is that you get to confess your most authentic feelings about your course and or faculty member without penalty. Nothing terrible will happen to you if you decide to fill out a not so great FCQ. The flipside to that, too, is that if you genuinely like/love a faculty member, you can fill out your FCQ for that instructor with the utmost respect and sincerity. That could be just as meaningful for not only you but also for your professor.
There are some great positives as to why students should fill out FCQ’s at the end of every semester, but also remember that faculty members benefit from your FCQ’s.
The only way that faculty will know how they did this semester is if we, the students, fill out those FCQ forms. If students don’t fill out the FCQ forms, instructors won’t know then if the class syllabus needs to change, if there were certain aspects of their lessons plans that could be taught better or explained better, or even just knowing if the structure of how they showed their class was efficient or not. The faculty members will never know how the students feel about how they did that semester.
Most professors like knowing what the students thought of their class as well as how they taught the class to see if there is anything they might need to do for the following semester for the courses that they taught. If they have little to go off of, it could be a disservice to them because a good portion of why we go to school in the first place is to learn. A university is a place where everyone is there to learn, grow, and inspire.
Another thing to keep in mind about FCQ’s is… If there is a faculty member that you think is outstanding, and they want to have a permanent place or even a higher position at the University, your FCQ’s play a big part in the decision making.
FCQ’s matter in a place of higher education when being considered for a tenure position. Being recognized for tenure means that a faculty member’s contract would be permeant at the university, along with other specifications. Student’s FCQ’s in this scenario could help with student thoughts about that professor’s classes/teaching.
Another example of when student’s FCQ’s can play a big part is in dealing with promotions within the university. Student’s opinions on various faculty can set the bar on determining a faculty’s fate. If they get promoted, it means that that faculty member has shown great dedication to their students as well as the university. It also means that the other staff, along with your FCQ’s, can play a part in selecting university employees. It’s good because we have more of a say than you may realize.
Whether or not you decide to fill out your FCQ’s or not for your classes this semester is entirely up to you, but I at least felt that I wanted to share some insight as to why I think FCQ’s should be filled out at the end of every semester. I like to think of it as myself reflection as to how my classes went for that semester. I also want to think about filling out my FCQ’s like expressing gratitude for the instructors that teach us every single day and to give thanks to them for everything that they do for us. SKO faculty and SKO Buffs! Giphy