Silver City, NM- Is there a classroom where the sun shines through the windows just a little too much? Or a room where the heater refuses to keep the 44 degree weather at bay? Perhaps one you has difficulty understanding an instructor’s lesson plans. These potential issues are important, and fortunately there is an easy way to address them: by filling out your course evaluations found in Mustang Express.
Many have probably received e-mails every morning from Dr. Jose Herrera, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, reminding you to fill out your course evaluations before the end of the semester. Herrera likens course evaluations to a vote, stating that they give students a chance to have their voices heard and enact change. Unfortunately, student response has been very low this semester, making any sort of change difficult. However, there is still time.
The steps for completing course evaluations are incredibly easy: First, a student must log in to their Mustang Express. Then, on the far right, there will be a tab that reads, “My Course Evaluation.” (The actual site address is: https://mycampus.wnmu.edu/group/mycampus/my-course-evaluation) After clicking the link, all of the students current classes should be listed. Click each one to evaluate.
After a student completes an evaluation, faculty will be able to review their courses and use your input to make improvements to their classes and teaching methods. Comments and evaluations left by students will be read by each Department Chair and they will go over them with faculty members. Administrators such as Dr. Herrera also use evaluations for determining who is retained and promoted, as they show the effectiveness of each faculty member. They also have a large impact on where resources are allocated and on course offerings. The goal of the evaluations is simply to improve the performance of the University and therefore the education of students. Dr. Herrera encourages all students to be fair, honest and constructive in their evaluations and ensures that all evaluations are 100% confidential.
Herrera’s goal is have at least 50% of the student body complete their evaluations before the end of the semester. ASWNMU is also encouraging students to complete their evaluations Student evaluations will remain open until exactly 11pm on December 9th.
