According to the UC Berkeley Center for Teaching and Learning, faculty play a key role in determining response rates for Course Instructor Surveys. “When actively promoted and discussed with students, response rates are generally higher than those in courses with little to no instructor attention paid to them” (para 1).
Tip 1: If you are teaching online or in-person, consider conducting the CIS IN THE MIDDLE of the last class, rather than at the end of the class period. Step out OR mute yourself, and turn off your camera, and come back after an agreed-upon time. You can also go into a Breakoutroom or send students into a Breakout room if you are teaching online. 
Tip 2: Show support by making it easy for students to find and complete the CIS: Include a link and or QR Code for students to complete their surveys: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/ctl/ecis/index.WBX or download this slide and share it with students.
Tip 3: Feel free to encourage your students to complete the CIS by sharing the role it plays in your teaching practice, how seriously you take the CIS, and thank them for the effort they put into providing feedback. If you tend to have low response rates or want to increase response rates, UT Austin’s CIS office states that many faculty ask students to demonstrate they have completed the CIS by taking a screenshot of the dashboard, which documents the completion status only. Some faculty ask students to upload those informational screenshots via a Canvas assignment.
For more details on the process, download these easy-to-digest PowerPoint slides from UT Austin’s CIS office. These slides include scripts in the Notes file that you can read to students.
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