SIRS Privacy

Student Instructional Ratings Survey

The Student Instructional Ratings Survey has been a paper-based system since its inception in 1994. As we move to an online system we remain committed to ensuring student privacy.

For the online surveys, we require that students log in before submitting their responses. Logging in is used strictly for two purposes:

• To ensure the students responding to the survey are enrolled in the class.
• To ensure that each student only replies once.

The university deletes the identifying information from the survey database after the completion of the survey collection period. Once this information is deleted it is impossible to connect a response or comment to any student. Prior to deletion, the identifying information is handled with the same security standards and safeguards as other confidential student information. Should threats to person or property be made by a student within the Student Instructional Rating Survey system, action may be taken to identify the individual and investigate the threat.

OTEAR reports the anonymous aggregate data and comments to the academic departments and individual instructors after final grades have been submitted. Academic departments and instructors never have access to any identifying information.

Summarized statistical reports for surveys concerning faculty and part-time lecturers are published for the university community at the SIRS Online Results web site, <https://sirs.ctaar.rutgers.edu/>. NetID log-on is required to view the reports. These reports are identical to those distributed to departments and instructors, with the exception that student comments are not included in the public reports.

The University Counsel has determined that posting Student Instructional Rating Survey information for Teaching Assistants must cease as of Fall 2004 because of the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99).

Updated August 4, 2011