Pursuant to Article 47 of the Statutes of the University of Ljubljana and pursuant to the opinion of the Student Council, the Senate of the University of Ljubljana at its session held on 24 June 2014 adopted the following

RULES ON STUDENT SURVEYS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA

I. Nature, subject of evaluation and purpose of the survey

Article 1

These Rules govern the student questionnaire (hereinafter referred to as: survey).
With the survey during the 1st and 2nd cycle of the studies, students express their opinions on (assess) individual courses and the performance of university teaching staff and university staff as stipulated by the Higher Education Act (hereinafter referred to as: teachers), general aspects of the study process and the compulsory student placement if applicable.
The survey for the 3rd cycle of studies shall be used to assess:  the general aspects of the studies, individual core courses, supervision, research as part of the studies, professional support by the student affairs office/student affairs offices.
The provisions of these Rules which apply to the section regarding individual courses and teachers carried out after 70% of contact hours of an individual course have taken place and before the final examination may apply mutatis mutandis for the evaluation of the teaching of visiting professors, guests from student placement and other external professionals who are part of the 1st and 2nd cycle of the studies. Members, or the Programme Council for interdisciplinary study programmes, shall decide on its application.
The survey during the 3rd cycle of studies shall also allow for the students to assess individual elective courses; this shall be decided by either the Council of the Member or the Programme Council for interdisciplinary study programmes.

Article 2
 
Based on the results of the survey, the bodies of the Member or individual teachers shall improve study programmes, the manner of their execution and teaching performance.
The results of the survey on teachers shall also be used as the basis for the Student Council opinion on the teaching performance of the teacher in accordance with the Criteria for Appointment to the Titles of University Teacher, Researcher and Associate of the University of Ljubljana.

II. Composition, time and manner of conducting the survey

Article 3
 

The survey shall be conducted at all Members of the University of Ljubljana for all three cycles of the studies.

The survey for the 1st and 2nd cycle of the studies shall be composed of three or, alternatively, four parts if the study programme includes compulsory student placement:
1. a part regarding individual courses and teachers, which is carried out after 70% of contact hours of an individual course have taken place and before the final examination,
2. a part regarding individual courses after the final examination, which is carried out after the students take the first exam or after they complete the last part of the first exam if the exam consists of multiple installments. This part of the survey is carried out by 30 September of the academic year in which the student takes the exam at the latest,
3. a part regarding general aspects of the study process, which is carried out after the first examination period,
4. a part regarding mandatory student placement, which is carried out after the student completed the mandatory student placement.
The survey for 3rd–cycle study programmes shall consist of two parts:
1. a part after the second examination period in the first year, but by 30 September of the academic year at the latest,
2. a part after the second examination period in the second year, but by 30 September of the academic year at the latest.

Article 4

The assessment shall be conducted electronically via an online information system or in paper form.

If a Member carries out the survey via its online information system, it shall ensure that the answers are transferred to the central online information system in an encrypted, anonymised form each year by 30 October at the latest.
If a Member conducts the survey in paper form, it shall ensure that the answers of surveys are transferred to the central online information system in an encrypted, anonymised form each year by 30 October at the latest.
The Council of the Member shall decide on the manner of carrying out the survey as a whole.
Completing the survey shall be anonymous and voluntary, regardless of how the survey is carried out.

III. Participants of the survey

Article 5
All students enrolled in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycle of the studies (hereinafter: survey participants) shall have the right to participate in the survey.
The survey participant shall assess the work of those teachers under whom he completed his/her study requirements during the period to which the survey pertains.
The survey participant shall assess the carrying out of those courses which were part of his/her study requirements during the period to which the survey pertains.

Article 6

For 1st or 2nd cycle interdisciplinary study programmes,, the Member coordinating the programme shall ensure that the survey participant has the right to also complete the survey at other Members participating in carrying out of the programme.
For interdisciplinary 3rd-cycle study programmes, the survey participant shall have the right to complete the surveys at the institute at which he/she is enrolled.

IV. Form of the survey and rating scale

Article 7
 
A uniform survey, which is appended to these rules and which shall not be modified, shall be used.
A Member shall be free to add its own questions to the survey, including the addition of a special part (individual courses) to the survey for the 3rd cycle of studies.

Article 8
A five-point scale shall be used in the survey for the assessment of 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycle of studies:
• 1 means “I strongly disagree” or “I am not satisfied at all” or “none at all” or “never”,
• 2 means “I mostly disagree” or “I am mostly unsatisfied” or “a little” or “rarely”,
• 3 means “I neither disagree nor agree” or “I am neither satisfied nor unsatisfied” or “medium” or “occasionally”,
• 4 means “I mostly agree” or “I am mostly satisfied” or “a lot” or “often”,
• 5 means “I completely agree” or “I am very satisfied” or “completely” or “always”.
Two more answers shall be provided in addition to the scale, namely “I do not have enough information” or “I do not wish to answer”.
Additionally, the answers “yes”, “no” and “I do not know” shall be used for 3rd-cycle surveys, depending on the type of the question.
In the survey, the rating scale is shown in a descriptive manner.

V. Processing and evaluation of the survey answers

Article 9

The processing of answers shall be possible in the information system after the survey or its part is completed. Answers to open-ended questions shall not be processed in the information system, but shall be collected and used for the purpose stipulated in Article 2, Paragraph 1 of these Rules. Processed answers are the results of the survey the Member shall then evaluate. When evaluating the results for individual courses, the share of the participants with regard to the number of students who selected an individual course or they were required to take the course as part of their studies shall also be stated.
In order to ensure anonymity, the answers shall be processed when the same part of the survey is filled out by at least 4 participants, but no earlier than after the period for answering the survey as stipulated by Article 3 has ended.
Survey results referring to the work of an individual teacher shall be compared to the survey results referring to the work of other teachers, such as in the same study programme or at the same Member,… (reference groups). In special reference groups, the results of visiting professors, guests from student placement and other external professionals who take part in the teaching process may be compared. The programme shall show the percentile rank by individual items. The percentile rank is the position held by an individual on the percentage scale with regard to the assessment result which he/she acquired during assessment within the group of teachers in the reference group. The programme calculates the percentile rank by individual items in the survey solely for the purpose of providing feedback to teachers and for the purpose of deciding on interviews with the teachers with the lowest scores.

Article 10

This article shall apply to the results of the survey for the 1st and 2nd cycle of the studies.

The following persons shall be able to consult the answers, processed answers and evaluated answers on teachers or visiting professors, guests from student placement and other external professionals who participate in the teaching process:
a) the Rector,
b) the Dean,
c) the individual teacher or visiting professor, guest from student placement or other external professionals,
d) the main instructor of the course,
e) the Student Council for the purposes of the procedure for the appointment to a title,
f) the Habilitation Commission.
The following persons may consult the answers, processed answers and evaluated answers by course (prior to and after final examination):
a) the Rector,
b) the Dean,
c) the individual teacher,
d) the main instructor of the course,
e) the person liable for carrying out the course,
f) the administrator of the study programme.

The following persons may consult the answers, processed answers and evaluated answers for the part referring to mandatory student placement:
a) the Rector,
b) the Dean,
c) the main instructor of the course,
d) other persons responsible for student placement.

The following persons may consult the answers, processed answers and evaluated answers on general aspects of the study process:
a) the Rector,
b) the Dean,
c) the Student Council of the Member in the University of Ljubljana,
d) the Senate of the Member or the Programme Council,
e) other persons responsible for the study process.

Article 11
Regardless of the provisions of the previous Article, the Student Council and the Dean may consult the answers to open-ended questions pertaining to the Student Council and extracurricular activities.

Article 12

This Article shall apply to the results of the survey for the 3rd cycle of the studies.
The following persons may consult the answers, processed answers, evaluated answers for the general part of the survey (general aspects, supervision, research within the studies and professional suport by the student affairs office / student affairs offices):
a) the Rector,
b) the Dean,
c) the individual teacher,
d) the main instructor of the course,
e) the Student Councils of the Members which carry out the study programme and the University of Ljubljana,
f) the Senate of the Member or the programme council,
g) doctoral studies specialist services,
h) other persons responsible for the study process.

The following persons may consult the answers, processed answers and evaluated answers on the special part (individual courses):
a) the Rector,
b) the Dean,
c) the individual teacher,
d) the main instructor of the course,
e) persons responsible for carrying out the course,
f) the administrator of the study programme or the Programme Xouncil.

VI. Use of survey answers

Article 13
The Rector or the Dean may provide processed answers and evaluated answers, with the exception of teachers, to the bodies of the University of Ljubljana or Members and professional services of the Rectorate or a Member. Processed and evaluated answers shall be used for the analysis of the situation at a Member or department and for the preparation of proposals for improvements.
The Dean of the Member or a person authorised by the Dean shall provide the representatives of the Student Council responsible for formulating the opinion on a teacher’s performance with all the answers to the surveys (including the answers to open-ended questions) regarding a teacher for the latest appointment period and the cumulative processed survey answers for all teachers at the Member and the department or another appropriate unit (excluding any personal data about other teachers) for the purpose of formulating the opinion on teaching performance in accordance with Article 2 of these Rules.
The Dean shall provide the processed answers to specialist services and bodies of the Member (such as a Quality Assurance Committee), or the Programme Council in the case of interdisciplinary study programmes.
At least once per year, the Dean shall conduct interviews with the teachers who received the lowest scores (1 to 10 percentile rank of the assessed teachers), not including visiting professors, guests from student placement and other external professionals. For the purpose of interviewing the teachers with the lowest scores, the Dean shall ask the representatives of the Student Council for an opinion on the performance of the teacher with whom the interview is to be conducted. In addition to this, the Student Council may recommend that the Dean carry out an interview with a specific teacher.
In response to a well-founded request of the Student Council, the Dean shall provide the results pertaining to a teacher, course or mandatory student placement to the Student Council.

Article 14
 
Employees, students and other participants in the study process may alert the Dean to potential evident errors in the survey procedure in writing. An evaluation shall not be considered an error.
 

VI. Liability

Article 15

The Dean of the individual Member, or the Programme Council in the case of interdisciplinary study programmes, shall be liable for conducting the survey, the evaluation of the answers and the use of survey answers in accordance with these Rules.
The Dean or the Chair of the Programme Council for the 3rd cycle of the studies shall submit annual reports to the Rector on conducting the survey, the evaluation of the answers and the use of the survey answers.

VIII. Personal data protection

Article 16
Any individual who accesses personal data in his professional capacity has a duty to act in accordance with the legislation governing protection of personal data.

IX. Record-keeping

Article 17

The Members have a duty to keep a record of teachers, such as on the basis of registration for teaching for the current academic year.
The Members shall be liable to update the record on teachers carrying out study programmes within 5 business days after any change, so that the changes are visible in the information system to survey participants.
Answers, processed answers and evaluated answers shall be kept in accordance with the Rules on Managing Documentation at the University of Ljubljana and the Classification Plan of the University of Ljubljana. 

X. Transitional and final provisions
Article 18

These Rules shall enter into force the day after adoption at the Senate of the University of Ljubljana and after publication on the website of the University of Ljubljana. The Rules shall apply from the day on which the Rector of the University of Ljubljana deems the online information system fit for carrying out the survey or no later than from 1 October 2015 onwards.
On the day these Rules are implemented, the Rules on Student Surveys adopted by the Senate of the University of Ljubljana at its session held on 4 July 2007 shall cease to apply.
Within 30 days after the implementation of these Rules, the Rectorate of the University of Ljubljana shall commence a public procurement process for acquiring the most favourable provider of survey digitalisation services which shall fully provide digitalisation services in accordance with the digitalisation guidelines.
Until the survey is introduced in accordance with these Rules, the current form of surveying shall continue to apply to all Members.

Article 19
The Quality Assurance Committee of the University of Ljubljana shall adopt the following no later than within a month after adopting these Rules:
- the guidelines for the digitalization of the survey, which shall regulate the processing of the answers of the survey in more detail,
- recommendations for conducting and use of the survey.

XI. Appendices to the Rules on Student Surveys:
- APPENDIX 1: Student survey for 1st and 2nd cycle studies – a survey pertaining to teachers and courses (prior to final examination)
- APPENDIX 2: Student survey for 1st and 2nd cycle studies – a survey on the course after the final examination
- APPENDIX 3: Student survey for 1st and 2nd cycle studies – a survey on the general aspects of the study process
- APPENDIX 4: Student survey for 1st and 2nd cycle studies – survey on mandatory student placement
- APPENDIX 5: Student survey for 3rd cycle studies – after the first year
- APPENDIX 6: Student survey for 3rd cyle studies – after the second year

Attachment: Rules on student surveys