Course And Teacher Survey (CATS)
Villanova University is committed to ensuring the quality of its academic programs and the teaching and learning experiences of its students. An important component of this process is receiving regular feedback from students on the courses they complete.
The Course and Teacher Survey (CATS) system operates on an online platform. The Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness, in cooperation with UNIT, selected eXplorance Blue as the vendor for the online system. Course offerings with enrollment greater than or equal to 4 students will be surveyed. Students will only be able to complete the online form one time. However, for team taught courses, students will have separate links for each instructor who is teaching the course. Faculty will receive their survey results after final grades have been submitted. Results provided to faculty will not include any identifying information. Responses are completely confidential.
Students will receive an initial email invitation asking them to complete their CATS approximately 2 weeks prior to the end of a full-semester class. Alternatively, CATS can be accessed via Blackboard during this time. Keep in mind that shorter courses will have a smaller window for the completion of CATS prior to the end of the course.
Faculty are required to allot 10 minutes at the start of a class session for students to complete CATS online during class. In addition, faculty should not be physically present during this time and, thus, may ask a student who has already completed a survey to serve as a proctor.
Any questions regarding CATS should be directed to our CATS System Administrator, Julie Helverson.
Summer 2024 (202510)
Course and Teacher Surveys (CATS) for full session courses will open and close as follows:
Session I – Tuesday, 6/18 through Tuesday, 6/25 (Juneteenth Holiday, 6/19)
Session II – Monday, 7/22 through Sunday, 7/28
Session III – Monday, 7/15 through Sunday, 7/28
CATS for non-full session courses, special programs, etc. will have individualized dates for CATS. If you have a question about the dates for a particular course, please contact the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness.
CATS reports for full session courses are scheduled to be released as follows:
Session I – Wednesday, 7/10
Sessions II & III – Thursday, 8/8
Colleges, departments and/or faculty members that would like to add additional questions to CATS should contact the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness by email.
Any college or department that would like to add supplemental questions should contact the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness prior to the start of the semester.
Any faculty member that would like to add supplemental questions should contact our office no later than 4 weeks prior to the end date of a course if the course runs the full length of the semester, and no later than 3 weeks prior to the end date of a “shorter” course.
All supplemental questions will appear at the end of the survey.