IASystem

IASystem is a course-evaluation system for colleges and universities. It is best suited to institutions that need campus-wide instructor evaluations with room for local questions and detailed analysis. Its no-cost one-term pilot lowers the barrier to trying it, while the setup fee and separate paper costs deserve a place in any budget decision.

Overview

IASystem combines online and paper evaluations, with forms configurable at the institutional, college, or department level. Instructors can add course-specific scaled or open-ended questions, a useful compromise for campuses that want shared evaluation structure without making every course survey identical.

Students can reach evaluations from Canvas, Blackboard, and other LMS applications through LTI. A web API also supports campus-specific integrations, such as links in a student portal. These access routes make IASystem a stronger fit for institutions looking to connect evaluations to existing systems than for buyers seeking a standalone survey tool.

Key features

Reporting covers course and combined-course summaries, administrative high/low and ratings summaries, survey lists, and data exports. Institution-specific reliability estimates, item-level deciles, and regression analyses give assessment teams tools to interpret results and adjust for context. That depth is an advantage for institutional assessment, but may be more than a campus needs if it only wants basic feedback collection.

IASystem uses HTTPS communications, role-based permissions, and server-side processing for calculations, validations, and reports. Reports and extracts omit student names, IDs, and login information, supporting respondent privacy. Ongoing phone and email support is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Pacific Time; that schedule may be less convenient for campuses outside Pacific business hours.

Pricing

The One-term pilot license costs nothing, billed for one term. It offers a campus a no-cost period to pilot IASystem, but is not a recurring free plan.

Annual institution-wide access is priced per enrolled student, with no course limit and a $5,404 one-time setup fee in every enrollment category:

• Enrollment Category 6: $1.59 a year for 20,000+ FTE students.
• Enrollment Category 5: $1.64 a year for 15,000–19,999 FTE students.
• Enrollment Category 4: $1.74 a year for 10,000–14,999 FTE students.
• Enrollment Category 3: $1.79 a year for 5,000–9,999 FTE students.
• Enrollment Category 2: $1.85 a year for 2,000–4,999 FTE students.
• Enrollment Category 1: $1.90 a year for under 2,000 FTE students.

Larger enrollment bands pay a lower per-student rate; smaller institutions pay a higher one. Paper forms and scanning cost extra, with paper evaluation costs depending on usage, so institutions using paper should account for both those charges and setup when comparing annual costs.

Platforms

IASystem is available on web and through an API. Its LTI access for Canvas, Blackboard, and other LMS applications complements those platforms rather than replacing them.

Who it's for

IASystem is aimed at colleges and universities assessing teaching and learning, and is backed by the University of Washington’s Institutional Assessment & Evaluation team. Its instructor evaluations, benchmarking, advanced reporting, and data export suit institutions that need more than basic survey collection. It is not a fit for buyers seeking anonymous feedback, which IASystem does not offer.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Institution-wide access has no course limit, while administrators and instructors can tailor forms at different levels.
• Pros: LTI, API integrations, and multiple report and analysis options support campus workflows and institutional assessment.
• Pros: A one-term pilot provides a no-cost way to evaluate the system on campus.
• Cons: The $5,404 one-time setup fee applies to all annual enrollment categories, adding an upfront cost beyond the per-student rate.
• Cons: Paper forms and scanning are charged separately, and paper costs vary with usage.
• Cons: It does not support anonymous feedback, ruling it out for institutions that require that mode.

Alternatives

For a broader set of course evaluation options, browse Course Evaluation Software. Qualtrics is worth considering for an individual who wants a free plan capped at one user, three active surveys, and 500 total responses; IASystem is oriented toward institution-wide campus use instead.

SmartEvals offers a free Lite option for schools currently using paper, including an on-the-go version, so it may suit a school seeking that narrower starting point. QuestionPro has a free Essentials plan with one user, 200 responses per survey, and 30 question types, as well as an Advanced plan at $99 a month billed annually; it is an alternative for buyers comparing survey plans and response limits.

HelioCampus Course Evaluations & Surveys is another paid option, with Android, iOS, API, and web platforms. IOTA360 Evaluations uses custom pricing based mostly on annual faculty and student users, with possible extra charges for custom reports, making it an option for institutions seeking a tailored quote.

Creatrix Campus Course Evaluation offers a custom quote for institutional needs. Eval25 is another paid, web-based option. evasys prices by tailored proposal based on products, project scope, integrations, hosting model, and support needs, which may suit institutions that want a scoped quote.

Verdict

IASystem is a strong choice for colleges and universities that want configurable instructor evaluations, campus integrations, and analytical reporting under institution-wide access. Its one-term pilot is a practical entry point, but the setup fee, variable paper costs, and lack of anonymous feedback are meaningful reasons to compare alternatives before committing.