Five Basic Questions about the TQA

On June 16, HSE’s final Teaching Quality Assessment (TQA) for this year comes to its conclusion. This is an important mechanism, which helps us receive student feedback about courses and instruction at our university. Below, HSE University Life considers five key questions of the TQA.  

What is the TQA?

The TQA is an assessment of teachers by students, done one time per module, and three prior to the start of the examination period s. HSE University access our LMS system to assess course contents and organization. We believe this to be an essential part of the study process.

Why take part in the TQA, if the questionnaire is always the same?

The TQA helps us improve our course offerings.. This is a way to express your feelings about a programme directly, as well as a chance to influence its future development.

With the TQA, you can not only criticize the courses that have not been very successful for some reason, but also suggest solutions for existing problems. For instance, you may suggest a more comfortable way of communicating with your teachers, or a better system of assessments.

Will the Rector read my feedback?

After the TQA is completed, all comments will be summarized with average values of each indicator. They are then sent to the relevant programme academic’s supervisor, as well as course lecturers.

Written comments are depersonalized and then made available for teachers. Students, as represented by the Student Council, may also have access to the results, upon a reasonable request. And yes, the Rector can also check the feedback: according to HSE regulations, the Centre for Institutional Research must send out the TQA summaries to a list of key personnel, including the HSE Rector.

Will the teachers see my feedback? Will I be expelled if I write something bad?

Teachers will see the assessment of a set of aggregated numbers, and the comments as a list. All comments are anonymous, and it’s impossible to be dismissed for giving a negative evaluation of a course or a teacher.

However, unfortunately, it is possible to be expelled if you miss the TQA three times during an academic year. So, it is definitely better to fill in the TQA questionnaire honestly, rather than simply avoid it.

Can I influence anything at all?

The TQA results are included in the KPI calculations for deans and academic supervisors, and are taken into account with respect to Teaching Staff Competition applications. Furthermore, this data is used to adjust/plan programmes and specific courses, as well as to resolve disputes.

The comments left by students are an important addition to the quantitative indicators, thus allowing each and every case to be examined in detail.

Author: Maria Eremina

June 05, 2019