Student resources
LOG INTO BLUEClick the link below to access Blue. |
Course evaluations are surveys sent out to students taking a class at UAF. The survey contains questions about your experience with the class, including questions about your Professor(s) and the course material. These surveys are your opportunity to give UAF and your Professors anonymous feedback. Your survey responses are then used to improve the course experience for students like you!
Blue is the software program UAF uses for course evaluations. Course Evaluation surveys are conducted exclusively through Blue. You only need a web browser (Chrome, Safari, etc.), an internet connection, and your UAF login to access Blue.
For information about how to login into Blue and navigate the website, please refer to the Student's Guide to Course Evaluations
Towards the end of the course, you will receive an email inviting you to fill out a course evaluation survey. Once you get this email, you can begin to fill out and submit the course evaluation survey. To access the survey, either follow the link(s) within the invitation email, or log directly into Blue here. After the initial invitation email, you will receive 1-3 reminder emails that also contain direct link(s) to the survey(s).
If you cannot find the survey invitation email, refer to the section on this page titled "I DIDN'T GET A SURVEY INVITATION EMAIL. WHAT NOW?"
Surveys are not open forever, and will close at a set date and time. Make sure you submit the survey before this date! The date and time the survey ends can be found within your Blue portal, and in the invitation or reminder emails.
After the term has ended and all grades are submitted, your instructor(s) will get a Report with the survey responses for courses they teach. The survey is anonymous, meaning your instructor(s) are NOT able to identify who responded to the survey, and they are NOT able to tell whose answers are whose.
Your survey responses are then used as feedback on how to improve the effectiveness of the course.
To complete a survey, you will need to know you UAF credentials (your UAF email address
and password).
For more detailed instructions on accessing and filling out a survey, see the Student's Guide.
1. Click this link to log into Blue. You can also access surveys through the survey invitation or reminder emails sent to you.
2. After you log in, click on the name of the course you want to complete the survey for. This will open the survey in a new browser tab. If you accessed Blue through an invitation or reminder email, the link will open directly to the survey.
3. Answer the questions on the survey openly and honestly, to the best of your ability. Adding details or expanding on your answers in Comment boxes is highly encouraged and helps your instructor better understand how to improve the course. You do not have to answer every question on the survey to submit it. If you want to come back to the survey later, your answers are automatically saved and will appear the next time you open the survey (but your answers will not be counted until you submit the survey).
4. At the end of the survey, click the Submit button. If you do not submit the survey, your answers will not be counted.
If you know your course evaluation window has started but you can't find the invitation email to the survey, it's most likely that your "preferred email address" (as it's set in UAOnline) is incorrect, or not what you think it is. Survey invitation emails and reminders are sent to your @alaska.edu email address by default. But, if you changed your "preferred email address" in UAOnline to something other than your UAF email address, the invitations will be sent to that address instead.
Here's what to do:
1. Log into UAOnline and navigate to "Manage Your Address, Email, and Phone Information".
2. Check what email address is listed under "Student Preferred Email". If this address
is incorrect, click "Change" and enter the correct email. If the listed email address
IS correct, check your Spam folder, or search for emails sent from "uaf-course-evals@alaska.edu".
3. IMPORTANT: If you updated your "preferred email address" in UAOnline, send an email to uaf-course-evals@alaska.edu with your name and the updated email address. This allows the Blue Administrator
to re-send the survey invitation emails to your correct email account.
***Note that once you change your "preferred email address", all FUTURE emails about course evaluations will be sent to that address. PAST EMAILS WILL NOT BE RE-SENT TO THE UPDATED EMAIL ADDRESS!! Please send an email to uaf-course-evals@alaska.edu to receive previously sent survey emails.***
Refer to the Student's Guide to Course Evaluations for more detailed instructions on changing your preferred email address.
If you cannot log into Blue because you forgot your UAF email and/or password, follow these instructions to reset your password.
If you are still having trouble logging into Blue, please send an email to uaf-course-evals@alaska.edu.
If you accidentally submitted a survey before you were ready to (or maybe realized you submitted answers for a different course), and the survey window is still open, you able to edit your answers and re-submit the survey. Simply navigate back to your Blue Homepage and open the survey. If you make changes to your answers, don't forget to re-submit the survey. If you do not re-submit, your answers will not be recorded.
If the survey window is closed and you wish to edit your responses, send an email to the Blue Administrator at uaf-course-evals@alaska.edu. The administrator is able to un-submit your survey responses and your responses will not be recorded.
If you missed the deadline to submit a course evaluation, you MAY or MAY NOT be granted an extension. Evaluation extensions are usually granted if any of the following circumstances have occurred:
* The start and/or end date(s) for the course has changed
* The course was extended past the official course end date
* There were technical issues with Blue (including not being able to access Blue)
* You did not receive survey invitation emails
* The course was taught off-the-grid/with no internet access
Extensions will NOT be approved if grades have been posted for the course. If you would like to request a survey extension, contact uaf-course-evals@alaska.edu.
If you prefer to be addressed by a different name than Blue is addressing you as, follow these steps:
1. Sign in to UAOnline
2. Go to "Personal Information"
3. Select "Chosen/Preferred First Name"
4. Enter your Chosen/Preferred Name.
5. Click Submit
The new Preferred Name you enter will be updated in Blue within 24 hours. If you wish to change your Preferred Email Address, follow these steps:
2. Go to "Personal Information"
STUDENT GUIDE TO COURSE EVALUATIONSThe Student's Guide to Course Evaluations contains everything you need know about course evaluations. Open the link below for detailed instructions on logging into Blue, opening surveys, how to answer the survey questions and more. |
HAVE A TEACHER YOU WANT TO THANK?If your instructor has made a positive difference in your education or beyond, take a moment to say thanks and we’ll pass it along. UAF wants to value those teachers who make a difference in students’ lives, so be sure to let us know! |
It depends on how you answer, and what your instructor decides to do with the feedback. The more details you include in comment boxes on the survey, the more information your instructor has to make changes. For tips on how to answer comment questions on the survey, view pages 3-4 of the Student's Guide to Course Evaluations.
If you want to know how your instructor will use survey responses, ask them! Asking your instructors questions like "How do you plan on using evaluation feedback?" or "Why does my feedback matter to you?" can start meaningful conversations about your instructors teaching philosophy and the challenges they face.
Yes, for the most part. The surveys are not timed, and you can access the Blue portal 24/7. If you exit a survey before you hit the submit button your answers will be saved (but not officially recorded) and you can continue where you left off the next time you open it. Surveys do expire though, and you can check the Due Date of each survey within your Blue portal.
How much time you have to complete a survey depends on the length of the course. Courses lasting one week will only have a 2 day evaluation window (the time period when you can fill out and submit the survey). Longer courses, like full-term courses, have a 2 week evaluation window.
YES!!!! Surveys are completely anonymous. Your survey responses are kept strictly confidential, meaning your instructors, or anyone else, cannot identify who answered questions on the survey.
After grades are posted for the term, survey responses are made anonymously available to the public. You can view historical course and instructor survey results here.
WHY USE BLUE?
You can play an integral role in the academic life of UAF by providing your opinion on courses and instructors through the Blue evaluation system. Your evaluations help faculty improve their teaching process, serve as a component of the promotion and tenure process, and give you a voice in the quality of your own education.
Your participation in the survey process is critical to UAF’s commitment to quality teaching and academic excellence. Consider using the published evaluation ratings to review previous offerings. UAF needs your feedback!