The Student Response to Instruction (SRTI) instrument is a campus-wide tool for collecting students’ perspectives about their instructional experiences. The items on the instrument focus on aspects of teaching that are highly related to student learning and satisfaction and are appropriate for the wide variety of instructional styles and courses taught at UMass Amherst. Course surveys are administered online for credit‐bearing lecture, lab, seminar, studio/skills, and colloquium sections in participating programs and departments. The SRTI online system was developed and is maintained by UMass Amherst IT in collaboration with ASER.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below is a list of frequently asked questions related to SRTI administration for instructors, SRTI coordinators, and students. If you can't find an answer to your question, please email @email.
Why can't I log in?
The course survey link is for students only. Presently, instructors cannot sign into OWL to view their SRTI results. Your department’s SRTI coordinator can use the OWL Coordinator tool to look up current response rates.
My class ends before the official last day of classes, can you survey my students earlier?
Yes, but in order for us to be able to identify them, your course must have a non-standard end date specified in SPIRE. Contact your department/program SRTI coordinator to make sure the correct end date is in SPIRE.
I share the teaching of a class with another instructor and only teach the first half of the semester. Can you survey students when I finish teaching my portion of the class?
Yes, as long as the dates you are teaching are entered into SPIRE. Contact your department/program SRTI coordinator to make sure the dates have been entered so that we can set up an early survey for your students.
How can I see what questions my students will be asked?
The SRTI Administration page has details about types of course survey forms and a link to view the items on each form.
How can I find out my current response rate?
Toward the end of the first and second weeks of the SRTI survey period, ASER sends an email to instructors that includes the current response rate for each of their course sections. Your department or program SRTI coordinator can also provide you with an updated response rate at any time.
When will I receive the results of my course surveys?
Once the grade submission deadline for the semester has passed, ASER will generate instructor reports (in .PDF form) that will be sent to your department or program coordinator who will then distribute them to instructors. Reports are generally completed within 2-4 weeks after the grade submission deadline.
How can I access my course surveys?
Once the survey period opens, you can use the following link to access all of your course surveys:
http://owl.umass.edu/partners/courseEvalSurvey/uma/
Why can't I log in?
Make sure that you can log into SPIRE and that you don’t need to update your password. If you have trouble, use the Password & NetID Help link on the SPIRE login page. Also make sure that your caps lock is not on.
Are my responses confidential?
The responses of individual students will not be identifiable in any reports. Course surveys are confidential to the extent allowed by law and university policy, and results are not shared with instructors until after they turn in students’ grades.
What if more than one instructor taught my course?
If a course was taught by more than one instructor, there will be a separate survey for each instructor for you to fill out. Please do not fill out one form for more than one instructor.
How do I log into the OWL coordinator tool?
You can access the tool by visiting http://owl.oit.umass.edu/partners/courseEvalSurvey/uma/coor.html. Log in using your NetID and password.
When can I start using the OWL coordinator tool to set up course surveys?
Your coordinator tool will be opened shortly after the Add/Drop date for the semester.
My department has classes that end before the official last day of classes, can they survey their students earlier?
Yes, but in order for us to be able to identify them, the must have a non-standard end date specified in SPIRE. You can read more about non-standard date SRTI administration here.
I submitted changes to a course in CAPS. Why isn't the change reflected in my coordinator tool course list?
Changes that you or your schedule representative make in CAPS may take a number of days to get into SPIRE and then into OWL. Be sure to mark changes needed for course surveys as "urgent" so the Registrar's Office knows to prioritize the update.
When will SRTI results for my program or department be available and how do I get them?
Once the grade submission deadline for the semester has passed, ASER will generate departmental and instructor reports (in .PDF form) that will be sent to you using OneDrive secure storage. Reports for all departments are generally completed 2-4 weeks after the grade submission deadline.
How do Five College students log in?
All students enrolled in a UMass class have a Net ID, even if they are Five College students. If the student does not know their NetID, they should contact the IT Help Desk.
How do the extra surveys appear to students?
Students see a link for their class in the list of surveys to complete. When they select the class, they are shown that there will be two parts. After they click Continue, they are presented with a web page/form that is the SRTI. When they submit that survey, they are presented with the next one on a new page/form which is the extra questions. They can leave the webpage and not submit or they can choose “Quit without Saving”. If they don’t submit, the class will still be on their to do list, and they will still get emails saying they haven’t completed all of their surveys. If they return and choose the class, they’ll only be able to do the extra questions that they didn't submit.
SRTI Announcements
Fall 2024 SRTI
The dates for the main SRTI administration are Monday, December 2 (7:00 am ET) through Thursday, December 19 (11:00 pm ET). For questions, concerns, or other assistance email @email.