Role description and list of tasks and responsibilities

All courses must have one course coordinator. If several lecturers share responsibility for a course, they must appoint one person to assume this role in consultation with the administration.

Before the semester starts

• plan the course (e.g. acquaint yourself with learning goals, previous course reports and reference group reports)
• send the list of required readings (pensum) to the relevant student adviser
• order pensum
• make a course schedule that includes deadlines for obligatory activities (together with the other lecturers if the course is taught by more than one person)
• post the course schedule and list of required readings on Blackboard
• if needed, hire learning assistants. see Procedure for employment of learning assistants (in Norwegian only)

During the semester

• update Blackboard regularly with relevant information
• make questions/tasks for the obligatory assigment(s) well ahead of time, or make sure someone makes them
• make a list of approved obligatory activities and send it to the relevant student adviser on or before the given deadline
• conduct course evaluations according to ISL’s procedures for quality assurance (see below)
• act as contact person for the course, i.e. respond to any practical or academic questions that students may have. If the course has several lecturers, each is responsible for answering questions related to their particular contribution to the course

Exams and assessment

See Examination checklist

Procedures for quality assurance of education

Each time a course is taught the course coordinator will conduct a course evaluation and produce a report. At NTNU, the study programme management system KASPER is used for this. Here you will find user guides and information about how to log in (The NFUT courses have different procedures.)

Before the semester starts:

• read the course description (paying special attention to elements such as form(s) of assessment, obligatory activity/ies, etc.)
• familiarize yourself with previous evaluations of the course
• course reports from the spring of 2020 and up until today are found in the Study quality portal if a report was submitted. Earlier course reports can be found in NTNU’s old solution DOQ[AKG3]
• follow up the plan of action sketched in the previous course report
• choose an evaluation method.

Choosing to use a reference group:

• designate a reference group consisting of at least three students who will evaluate the course and produce a report
• send the students’ names to the relevant student adviser
• register all the group members in KASPER. When this is done, a Team is automatically created. This is where the students will be carrying out their evaluation task (note that it may be necessary to log in multiple times in order to finalize the registration so that a Team can be created)
• point the students to the information on the page For studenter i referansegruppe (the page contains a link to an English version)
• post the reference group members’ contact information on Blackboard
• receive the students’ evaluation report in Teams

Other course evaluation methods

It is possible to opt out of using a reference group, choosing a different form of course evaluation instead, e.g., a survey. A survey may be conducted via Blackboard or by using NTNU’s survey tool, Nettskjema (in Norwegian only). The decision to use a different course evaluation method has to be reported: Register other evaluation methods.

Midway evaluation

The course coordinator is to carry out a midway course evaluation, either by calling a meeting with the reference group or by conducting a survey.

End-of-term evaluation

• The course coordinator will produce a report which is to be submitted electronically in KASPER. The report should be based on the students’ feedback (the reference group report or the results from the survey), together with the lecturer(s) own evaluation.
• The students should be informed, via Blackboard, that the report has been published and that it can be accessed through the Study quality portal.

Deadlines: By the end of December in the autumn semester and by the end of June in the spring semester, unless other deadlines are given.

Document for download: Rutiner kvalitetsarbeid ved ISL/Procedures for quality assurance at ISL (in Norwegian only).

Extended course evaluation

Every third semester when the course is taught, the course coordinator is to actively solicit feedback from all the students on the course. This means that even if the course has a reference group, a survey should also be distributed.

In that same semester there will be both internal and external assessment of exams. The external examiner will be asked to evaluate the course and the exam questions by filling in a designated form. Reports submitted by external examiners are stored in ISL’s shared network directory: T:\hf\isl\Alle ansatte\Undervisning\Kvalitetssikring av utdanning\Ekstern evaluering - rapporter fra sensor.

Time frames for extended course evaluations and study programme evaluations are also available here: T:\hf\isl\Alle ansatte\Undervisning\Kvalitetssikring av utdanning\Generelt om kvalitetssikringsrutiner.

Pilot courses

The course coordinator is to inform the students, via Blackboard, that the course is a pilot, and what this entails for them. If the course is a pilot, an extended course evaluation should always be conducted.

Reference group certificates

Standardized reference group certificates are available in KASPER. The certificates are to be printed and signed by the course coordinator.

Which student adviser to turn to

See Administrative staff – who does what?