Writing course reports - Kunnskapsbasen
Writing course reports
This page is a guide for course coordinators on how to write course reports for course evaluations.
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Writing a course report
Starting from fall 2020, all course evaluations must be written digitally using KASPER, NTNU's digital tool for quality assurance of education. In KASPER you can:
- Create digital reference groups for your courses, or register your wish to use other student evaluation methods.
- Start the evaluation process, registering your notes or suggested measures [tasks] for all your courses.
- Write and publish the course report.
You may log onto KASPER using this link to the landing page, or the link found under "for employees" at Innsida.
If you wish to learn more about KASPER, you can find all our wikies and other learning resources at this page.
NB: Although all our learning resources have English translations, KASPER itself is only in Norwegian.
Report deadlines:
1 September: Course reports from the spring semester.
15 February: Course reports from the autumn semester.
Your faculty may have their own deadlines that are shorter than these final ones.
Template for course reports
NTNU has a template that outlines the minimum requirements for what a course report should contain. The faculties can, based on this template, create their own templates with extra requirements to cover local needs.
NTNU minimum template for course reports (doc) (odt)
- IV: Template for course reports (docx) (odt)
- MH: Template for course reports (docx) | (odt) | (pdf). Se also: Guide to filling in Course Report (pdf)
- SU: Course coordinators at SU, please go to the document tool. Se also: routines for reports SU.
- IFY: Template for course reports
Help writing course reports
The course code, title and learning outcomes can most easily be found by searching the course database.
Programmes of study in which the course is included
Courses can be a part of several programmes of study, which in turn may have different needs or requirements. To ensure that all are considered and to make sure that the heads of each programme of study receives the necessary information, be sure to provide information about relevant study programmes.
Description of learning outcomes for the course
All of the learning outcomes should be provided. You will find them by searching the course database.
Data on which the course report is based
In this field you should either specify or attach the data on which the course is based, such as:
- previous course reports
- the minutes from reference group meetings and/or feedback from students
- Feedback collected from the entire group of students who have taken the course (every third time it's held)
- statistics: failure rate, drop-out, grade statistics from FS.
Reference group report
If you have created a reference group for the course, you should include its report in its entirety as an attachment to the course report. If another form of student evaluation has been used, the results of this evaluation should be summarized and attached to the report.
- See the page on reference groups for more information.
Course coordinator's assessment of the quality of the course
Your assessment of the quality of the course should be based on the data you have collected. Topics for the assessment:
- Learning outcomes: Are they up to date and relevant? Have they been clearly communicated to the students? Is there consistency and coherence between the learning outcomes for the course and parallel and previous courses?
- Teaching and learning activities: How do they help students to achieve the learning outcomes for the course? Are the types of learning activities, and their level and progression appropriate? What about the students' own efforts and motivation? What is the learning environment like?
- Form of assessment: Is this consistent with the learning outcomes and with the teaching and learning activities, so that the students are tested in an appropriate way that contributes to their learning?
Action plan
The action plan is made up of an number of measures, with responsibility for follow-up and a deadline for completion. The head of department approves the plan of action.
Following up the action plan: The head of department approves the action plan and follows it up by allocating resources and delegating responsibilities. As course coordinator you are responsible for following up and implementing the measures described in the plan of action. The follow-up routines for the action plan are delegated by the faculty or department.
See the annual cycle for the quality assurance process on page 11 of this report for more information.
Share and hand in the course report
The report should be sent to the course's current students, the head of department and the head(s) of the programme of study. The report should be made available to student representatives at the department, faculty and programme of study, and to the reference group in the three following times the course is held.
Tips on making the report and courses of action available for students:
- You can send the report to current students of the course by sending a message on the course channel on Innsida or by using Blackboard.
- You should also send a message in Blackboard about the courses of action being taken.
Also see
- Quality assurance of education (in Norwegian)
- Course evaluation - for course coordinators
- Completing student evaluations of courses
- Programme of study evaluations - for the head of the programme of study
- Responsibilities of the course teacher in quality assurance of education (in Norwegian)
- Student responsibility in quality assurance of education