The Office of the Registrar, in collaboration with the Office of the Provost, administers the TRACE (Teacher Rating and Course Evaluation) system for undergraduate and graduate courses at Northeastern University. Academic policies for TRACE were instituted by the 2011–2012 Faculty Senate and are explained in an important letter from the Faculty Senate TRACE Implementation Committee.

How can I see my TRACE results?

To see your results, log into TRACE online. Select the Home tab drop-down window, and then select My Courses. The screen will show you all your evaluation information on each semester from Summer 2/Full Summer 2015 going forward. To view evaluations before Summer 2/Full Summer 2015, click here.

If you would like to look at all results (yours and others) through our reporting tool, you can go to the Reports tab and select Report Browser. This will allow you to select term, school, department, instructor, and course. When the desired classes populate below the search criteria, you will be able to select a view link next to the class. This link will allow you to see all the general ratings for classes. Faculty can only see their own comments, not comments for other instructors. If you want to see your own course comments, you can go to the drop-down window in the upper right of the screen and select Comment Report. You can print a pdf from this online view.

What does redaction mean?

Faculty are able to review their own evaluation reports, including student comments, before they are published to the university community. Generally, faculty have access to their own results one day after grades are due through MyTRACE on their MyNortheastern portals. After reviewing student feedback from TRACE, faculty may request redaction of any comments. The criteria for redaction are:

  1. Comments that harass, threaten, defame, slander, or otherwise fall outside the appropriate use policy.
  2. Comments that evaluate the instructor on criteria not related to his or her teaching performance and/or on a discriminatory basis. The university’s Equal Opportunity Policy affirms that “Northeastern University does not condone discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, religious creed, genetics, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, veteran or disability status.”
  3. Comments that raise allegations of professional impropriety (including harassment or discrimination) on the part of the instructor. Such allegations may be redacted and referred to appropriate university authorities for investigation.
How do I indicate I would like a comment to be considered for redaction?

To redact the comments, simply check the box on your comment report in TRACE and it will be sent for review.

How long do we have to request redactions?

Requests for redaction must be submitted within 10 days after the TRACE response period ends. You will be provided the redaction period for any semester in which you teach via email.

Whom should I contact if I can’t view my TRACE reports?

Contact the TRACE administrator at [email protected].

How do I see TRACE results if I am not a faculty member?

For administrators, please view TRACE results online.

When will the reports from the current term be available to view?

TRACE survey reports are available to faculty one day after grades are due to the Office of the Registrar.

Is it possible to confirm that students have completed the TRACE survey?

You can monitor overall percentage of student participation by selecting the Home tab on the TRACE site, then choosing the My Courses page from the drop-down window. Individual student participation is not available due to student privacy.

Is there a confirmation of survey completion that students can submit to their instructor?

Yes. Students can print out a list of their completed surveys by going to the TRACE site, clicking the Home tab on the main screen, and selecting My Evaluations. They will also receive an email at the end of the day that will list the evaluations they completed that day.

What might explain why I can’t find my TRACE results?

TRACE includes courses offered in the day undergraduate or graduate programs with more than five students enrolled. Please email the TRACE administrator at [email protected] immediately if you believe your course has been omitted in error. Your department informs us of classes that should be evaluated per term and the name of the instructor(s).

When are TRACE surveys available for students to complete for my class?

The dates for TRACE evaluation will be sent to the faculty/instructor teaching the course by email.

Do students have access to TRACE survey results before grades are posted?

No. Trace survey results are not released for students to view until grades and redactions have been processed.

I am an administrator. Do I have access to all the TRACE surveys for the classes in my department?

Deans, department chairs, and other administrators granted permissions can view TRACE reports for their units online. If you believe you should have these permissions and do not, please contact the dean’s office of your college or school.