USRI Technology Refresh Project

Updating our course feedback system to better meet UCalgary's needs

The USRI technology refresh project will replace Class Climate (the current system) with Explorance Blue, a platform that supports advanced survey practices, data collection, management, and reporting for student feedback. This project will migrate the existing USRI questionnaire and faculty forms to a new platform over the next year in a phased approach, and will implement the platform for campus use.  

The technology refresh will help improve student and staff experience with course feedback, allow for more flexible survey design and customization, digitize feedback collection, streamline business processes, reduce our environmental impact, and give UCalgary course instructors access to a question bank developed by Canadian teaching and learning experts.

Related links

USRI Recommendation Report | March 2022

 

Benefits of new technology

Better course feedback

Improve student and staff experience ​with course feedback 

Customized design

Allow for customization and flexible survey design for course feedback​, and access to question bank developed by teaching and learning experts

Digitization and reporting

Digitization and data collection that support accessibility

More efficiencies

Streamlining business processes and reducing environmental impact​, supporting UCalgary's commitment to sustainability

Explorance Blue- Student FAQs

  • An invitation email will be sent inviting you to complete the course survey.  Additional reminders will be sent while the course survey is open. 

  • When logging into D2L, a pop-up window will appear listing the surveys to be completed, as well you can click the D2L “Course Surveys” tab (at the top of the D2L homepage) to complete the surveys. 

  • The course survey may have closed, and you no longer have access to the survey. 

  • The course did not meet the criteria for a survey to be completed (fewer than 8 students, or certain types of courses). 

  • Your course may be administered through Class Climate. Blue is being rolled out in phases—for Summer 2023, five faculties are the first to use the platform (Faculties of Law, Social Work and Nursing, Haskayne School of Business and Werklund School of Education). If you are also taking classes in other faculties not listed above, you will provide your course feedback in Class Climate.

Invitation and reminder emails are sent to ucalgary.ca email addresses only. Please check your inbox and junk folders, in case it was sorted incorrectly.  

Blue is being rolled out in phases—for Summer 2023, five faculties are the first to use the platform (Faculties of Law, Social Work and Nursing, Haskayne School of Business and Werklund School of Education). If you are also taking classes in other faculties not listed above, you will provide your course feedback in Class Climate.  

Other faculties will be included in upcoming phases (Fall 2023 and Winter 2024).  

Yes, you can revisit the course survey until the survey closes. Click the link in your email invite or select “Course Surveys” tab in D2L.   

Unfortunately, once the course survey is closed, we cannot reopen it. 

Send an email to coursesurvey@ucalgary.ca with your question and we will get back to you soon!  

The information you provide in course surveys is confidential. Course instructors are provided with an aggregate summary of their student feedback with student names and UCIDs removed. Student feedback for a course will be released, provided sufficient response rates, after official final grades have been posted in your student portal.

Comments which may breach the Student Non-Academic Misconduct Policy will be flagged and may be shared as required.

The USRI Technology Steering Committee:

  • Provides strategic direction for the implementation of a new technology platform.
  • Consults with CFIWG as needed to meet actions of recommendation report and to coordinate communications around the technology change
  • Oversees the work of the USRI Technology Working Group

  1. Leslie Reid (Chair)

    Vice Provost, Teaching and Learning

  2. Adnan Ahmed

    Director, Office of Institutional Analysis (OIA)

     

  3. Dawn Johnston

    Associate Dean, Teaching, Learning and Student Engagement, Faculty of Arts

     

  4. Natasha Kenny

    Senior Director, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning

     

  5. Ken Lane

    Director, IT Solutions and Service Delivery

     

  6. Robert Wensveen

    Director, Continuing Education

     

  7. Gillian Edwards

    Manager, Communications and Programming, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning

  8. Laura Forbes (Co-Chair)

    Project Manager, IT

     

  9. Jessica Ayala

    Vice Dean, Faculty of Social Work

     

  10. Leighton Wilks

    Associate Dean, Teaching and Learning, Haskayne School of Business

     

  11. D’Arcy Norman

    Associate Director, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning

     

  12. Trevor Poffenroth

    Chief Information Officer, Information Technologies

     

  13. Vanessa Wood

    Deputy Registrar

     

  14. Robin Arseneault

    Teaching and Learning Project Coordinator