Access the Explorance Blue website
Access the USC Academic Calendar
Training Sign-Up
Register for the session that best fits your schedule:
Friday, March 27th from 12pm-12:45pm
Thursday, April 9th from 2pm-2:45pm
What Is Explorance Blue?
Explorance Blue is the university’s official course survey platform. It supports survey delivery, response collection, reporting, and analysis for course experience surveys.
Roles in Blackboard
- Instructor and TA roles in Blackboard are crucial to ensuring the correct individuals are surveyed.
- Survey eligibility depends on Blackboard role designation (e.g., evaluated TA vs. non-evaluated TA).
- If you need to make a role change in a Blackboard course, submit a support request.
Merged Courses
Courses merged in Blackboard do not appear merged in Explorance Blue. The separate
child sections will have their own Subject Management box in Explorance Blue.
- QR codes cannot be used for merged Blackboard courses.
- TAs that are only placed in the parent course will not be surveyed. TAs must be in their specific section’s Blackboard course to be surveyed.
- Contact your Explorance Blue Coordinator if you need to add a TA to a course in Blackboard.
Question Personalization (QP)
- You may add two approved questions from the question personalization bank to each course survey during the designated QP window.
- QP questions allow you to gather targeted feedback related to specific instructional goals or course components.
Student Email Communications
- Students receive an initial invitation email with a link to complete their surveys.
- Students receive automated email reminders during the open survey period. The emails will stop once all surveys are completed.
- Instructors have the option to send additional email reminders through Explorance Blue.
Instructor’s Response Rate and Report Access
- You may view response rates in the subject management tab during the open survey period.
- You will receive an email notification when survey reports are available to view.
- Survey reports are released only after final grades are submitted. These can be found under the Reports tab.
Survey Anonymity
- Survey responses are anonymous. You will not be provided with the names of respondents.
- You should not attempt to identify which student submitted a particular response. Instead, view the survey reports as general feedback.
Survey Core Questions
Each survey will contain all ten of these questions.
Likert Scale
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
1. The course materials were well organized and easy to access.
2. The instructional methods and learning activities were engaging.
3. The course learning activities increased my knowledge and skills in the subject matter.
4. The significance and relevance of the course topic(s) were made clear.
5. Overall, the course was effective to my learning.
6. What aspects of this course impacted your learning experience the most? (open text/qualitative comment area)
7. This instructor treated students with respect and created an environment in which students felt encouraged to participate.
8. I was able to reach my instructor when needed, and they were responsive to my questions and concerns.
9. Overall, the instructor was effective in teaching this course.
10. What about this instructor impacted your learning experience the most? (open text/qualitative comment area)
Departmental Questions
The Student Course Experience Survey Tool Governance Committee has voted to allow academic units to add three additional questions to the survey. Academic units may have more than one set of questions depending on class type, subject, or other factor, but only three questions can be added to the Student Course Experience Survey.
For example, a college may want three sets of departmental questions, one set for face-to-face classes, one set for online classes, and the final set for the capstone course. Each set may have three questions but only one set may be applied to a specific survey. A capstone course that meets face-to-face could only have one of the sets of questions.
If you have questions about your department’s chosen questions, reach out to your Explorance Blue Coordinator.
Honors Block Questions
1. I was satisfied with the Honors experience I received in the course.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
2. This course was designed with Honors students in mind.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
3. I would recommend this Honors course to other Honors students.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
4. I would recommend this instructor to teach future Honors classes.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
5. Compared to other Honors courses you have taken, how difficult was this Honors course?
Very difficult Difficult Neutral Easy Very Easy
6. What specific suggestions do you have to improve the Honors experience in this course?
Question Personalization (QP)
Instructors will have the option to add up to two questions from the optional question bank and decide whether they would like to include these additional questions in their annual or promotional materials.
Likert Scale – for questions 1-18
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
1. The instructor carefully explained difficult concepts, methods, and subject matter.
2. The instructor encouraged class participation.
3. The instructor's explanations were clear.
4. The instructor communicated information effectively.
5. The instructor gave adequate instructions concerning assignments.*
6. The instructor's presentations and contributions in class engaged me.*
7. The way the instructor conducted class kept me engaged.
8. The instructor was available to students either electronically or in person.
9. The instructor was prepared for each instructional activity.
10. The instructor seemed genuinely interested in teaching the course.
11. The instructor showed a thorough knowledge of the course material.
12. The instructor expressed interest in students' learning approaches (e.g. note-taking, study habits) throughout the course.
13. The instructor encouraged me to take an active role in my own learning.*
14. The instructor made me feel free to ask questions, disagree, and express my ideas.*
15. The course instructor encouraged respect for different opinions and experiences in the classroom.
16. The instructor fostered a classroom environment in which all students could feel free to participate fully.
17. The instructor provided opportunities for students to interact with one another.*
18. The instructor provided opportunities for students to interact with one another on team, group, or collaborative assignments or projects.
19. What advice do you wish someone had given you on the first day of class? (open text/qualitative comment area)
20. How many hours per week did you dedicate to this course, both inside and outside of the class meetings?
Fewer than 4 hours 4-6 hours 7-10 hours 11-14 hours More than 14 hours
*These questions may be particularly relevant for online instruction.
Gaining Valuable Insights, Together
These surveys offer a unique opportunity to understand your students’ learning experiences. Their feedback allows you to:
- Sharpen your focus: Identify areas where your course can reach new heights, ensuring students are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need.
- Amplify student voices: Hear directly from your students about their challenges and successes, fostering a sense of collaboration and shared purpose.
- Measure the impact: Assess the effectiveness of your teaching methods and curriculum, ensuring they are optimally aligned with student learning outcomes.
Transforming Feedback into Action
Student Course Experience Surveys are more than just data points; they're a catalyst for positive change. By analyzing the results, you can:
- Refine your strategies: Implement data-driven adjustments to your teaching methods, making your courses even more engaging and effective.
- Celebrate together: Showcase the positive impact your course has on student satisfaction and development, fostering a sense of shared accomplishment.
Increasing Survey Engagement
High response rates strengthen the reliability and usefulness of survey results.
Check out InDev Tips for Increasing Response Rates [pdf] for methods to increase response rates.
Quick Reference Guides (Instructor Guides)
- Use this instructor's guide [pdf] for question personalization.
- Use this quick-start guide [pdf] to access course survey response rates.
- Use these instructions [pdf] for accessing your Explorance Blue course survey results.
USC Policy on Course Surveys
Review USC's Policy on Course Surveys [pdf] (ACAF 1.04).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Survey periods for full-term courses typically begin three weeks before the last day of class and end on the last day of class. For half-term courses, the survey periods typically begin two weeks before the last day of class and end on the last day of class.
Your Explorance Blue Coordinator is responsible for ensuring all eligible courses are surveyed. Contact your Explorance Blue Coordinator if you have concerns.
No. Adding QP questions is optional.
No. Each individual section of a merged course appears as a separate box in Subject Management. QR codes are not available for merged courses.
Verify that instructors and TAs have the correct roles in Blackboard courses. There are evaluated and non-evaluated Blackboard roles for instructors and for TAs.
For merged courses, if a TA is only placed in the parent (merged) course, they will not be surveyed. You can submit a support request for role changes.
The most reliable way to access surveys is by going through the Explorance Blue website. Students can also access surveys through the links in the reminder emails or via Blackboard.
Yes. Response rates are visible in the Subject Management tab in Explorance Blue.
No. The progress tracker in Blackboard does not translate to the progress in Explorance Blue. The Blackboard progress tracker only captures if a student has clicked on the Explorance Blue link. It does not reflect if the student has completed the survey.
Yes. Students receive reminder emails until surveys are completed or the survey period ends. As an instructor, you can also send additional email reminders to students through Blue.
Email notifications are often QP reminders or report availability. University-wide updates or troubleshooting information may appear as banners in Blackboard during the survey period. There will also be a pop-up in Blackboard reminding students and faculty to complete any available tasks in Explorance Blue.
QR codes are available only for non-merged courses and can be accessed within Explorance Blue during the open survey period.
Yes. Go to InDev Tips for Increasing Response Rates [pdf] to discover ways to increase response rates.
This may be due to eligibility issues. If you have concerns, contact your Explorance Blue Coordinator or submit a support request.
For Columbia campus courses, reports are available in Explorance Blue 10 days after the course end date. If you receive an email that your reports are available, but you cannot access them, contact your Explorance Blue coordinator or submit a support request.
Explorance Blue will no longer require a minimum of five student responses to automatically release a survey report. However, a course with less than five students enrolled will not automatically generate a report. If you have any questions, contact your Explorance Blue Coordinator.
This may be due to role issues in Blackboard. Contact your Explorance Blue Coordinator or submit a support request if you notice reports for courses you didn’t instruct.
Enrollment figures in Blue may be higher than enrollment figures in Blackboard due to combined reports or cross-listed courses. If you have concerns, contact your Explorance Blue Coordinator or submit a support request.
Requests to combine reports must be submitted through your Explorance Blue Coordinator.
Need Help?
Reach out to your Explorance Blue Coordinator or Request Explorance Blue Support:
When submitting a ticket, please include:
- Course ID
- Description of the issue
- Screenshots, if applicable