The results of the Spring 2023 Student Instructional Rating Surveys are now available for viewing by students and the university community at the SIRS Results web site. 

A valid Rutgers NetID login is required to view the survey results. Results for teaching assistants are not posted, and open-ended comments are not included. Instructors and department administrators should use the "Blue" survey site for complete results. 

In addition, we have rolled out a visual redesign of the SIRS Results web site. We hope the new design makes the site easier to access. Feedback is welcome, if you comments about the SIRS Results web site please email us at otear@rutgers.edu

In response to concerns and questions about generative artificial intelligence and the classroom, we are excited to announce Critical AI Literacy: Advice for the New Semester.

This document was prepared by Lauren Goodlad, Sharon Stoerger, and the Rutgers AI Round Table Advisory Council. It includes (1) a brief introduction to "AI," followed by discussion of (2)"critical AI literacy," (3) implications of "generative AI" for academic integrity, (4) suggested updates for syllabi, and (5) a short list of potential resources.

We hope you find the advice helpful as you finalize your syllabi and get ready to begin teaching! You can see the full OTEAR AI web page with past and upcoming workshops on AI.

Student Instructional Rating Survey results for most Summer 2023 courses are available now to faculty, instructors and administrators. Some academic units withhold results for a longer period. Rutgers Business School results will be available on August 31st, and Rutgers Law School survey results will be available on September 4th.

To view your results:

1. Sign in to the SIRS "Blue" system  [Note that August 21st issues with CAS + Duo login are affecting several Rutgers systems, including SIRS]
2. Scroll down to see the "Reports" section
   • Initially you will see the most recent 12-months of surveys including Summer 2023.
   • To see older survey results, click the "archived" tab on the far-right side of the page.

We are excited to announce an upcoming session with in-person offerings on each of the geographic campuses! 

Understanding Your Students' Engagement to Plan for the Fall  

The level of student engagement in courses has been a hot topic for many since Spring 2020 and continues to be of interest for instructors, departments, programs, and schools. In this work session, you will have the opportunity to look at student engagement indicators within your own course(s) from this past year. We will help you consider what this information means and start to consider changes to your course ahead of the Fall semester. Light refreshments will be served. 

• Camden Campus: July 11th, 12:30 - 2:00 pm - Camden Campus Center, South ABC 
• New Brunswick Campus: July 18th, 10 - 11:30 am - Institute of Food Nutrition & Health - Room 101
• Newark Campus: August 7th, 10 - 11:30 am - Center for Law and Justice (CLJ) 392 (there will be a virtual option for this session

Please register through this form for any the sessions. 

Wednesday, June 28, 2023
10:00am-11:30am

At the end of the Spring 2023 term, OTEAR surveyed instructors about their teaching experiences to better understand emerging challenges. In this presentation, we share our analysis of the Instructor Teaching Experience Survey and discuss how instructors experienced challenges related to student preparation, student engagement, and other issues.

To attend the presentation or receive the video recording, please register.

AI Round Table

Monday, June 12, 2023
11:00 a.m. -- 12:30 p.m.

We've been discussing AI concerns and issues. Let's also discuss promising strategies for the productive, creative, and ethical use of AI in our classrooms and with our students. Join us and special guest Associate Professor Joyce Valenza for an AI petting zoo, where we will explore and test-drive applications for productivity, research, and instructional design and consider the framing of new norms for integration the coming semester (You can learn more about Joyce's work here).

If you wish to attend the workshop or to receive the video recording, please register: 

The results of the Spring 2023 Student Instrucitonal Rating Surveys are now available to faculty and administrators in the Blue survey system. After logging in, scroll down to see the "Reports" section. 

There are two exceptions:

• Rutgers Business School MBA program (school 22): results will be available Tuesday, May 23rd.
• Rutgers Law School (schools 23 and 24): results wil be available Friday, June 16th. 

The numeric portion of the results for faculty and lecturers will also be published for the university community (NetID login required) on the SIRS Results web site in late Summer (August 2023). Open-ended comments are not published on the web site, neither are SIRS results for TAs or student-teachers. 

For the majority of courses, the Student Instructional Rating Survey begins today (April 17). Students can complete the survey at https://sirs.rutgers.edu/blue , and will receive reminders by email and each time they log in to Canvas. The survey ends on May 3rd. Faculty can change their own survey dates, so there will  be some variation for individual courses. 

AI Round Table: How AI & ChatGPT are Changing Education - A conversation with Inside Higher Ed's Susan D'Agostino (Virtual Presentation)
Monday, April 10th, 2023, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Susan D'Agostino is an educator turned journalist who covers technology issues for Inside Higher Ed. This year, she has been closely following developments in generative AI and education around the country and at international conferences, and is willing to share her insights with us. Join us for a conversation, facilitated by OTEAR, where we ask Dr. D'Agostino about issues of concern related to technology and the university. Please register and consider contributing a question for our speaker.

AI Round Table: ChatGPT Possibilities and Limitations in a Pedagogical Context (Interactive Live Demonstration)
Tuesday, March 28, 2023, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

ChatGPT is a powerful generative AI tool that scans the texts of the Internet and returns answers to questions that are detailed and articulate, though often inaccurate or superficial. Since its release in late November 2022, it has been the subject of much discussion, especially amongst educators fretting about the integrity of their take-home assignments. In this interactive demonstration, we will feed ChatGPT a variety of prompts to find out just what it does well and what it does poorly. This session is meant to assist faculty in designing written prompts, reviewing student work, and understanding this new landscape. Register here.