Online Teaching Evaluations: Factors contributing to shutdown on April 20

Several factors contributed to the failure:

• Intense use during a very short processing cycle
• High login volume triggered by email notifications
• Pushing system limitations (functions expanded from 10 to 35 tools since 2003)
• For more information about the impact this has on your unit, visit the FAQ posted on the VP for Communications’ Web site and read the recent University Record article.

Closer collaborations will improve strategic alignment and support of University-wide systems.

We identified some short and long-term solutions for Course Evaluations:

• Replace parts of the software with more efficient code
• Turn off lower-priority functions during peak usage periods
• Conduct email notifications in waves to spread responses more evenly throughout the day
• Install a higher-capacity database environment in July
• Conduct external reviews of Ctools software, configurations, and production support practices over the summer
• Make CTools infrastructure more robust to handle increased processing loads