News

Transition to a new Course Evaluation Platform for SJSU

Beginning in Fall 2026, Explorance Blue will replace Anthology Course Evaluations for the administration of the Student Opinion of Teaching Effectiveness (SOTE) and Student Opinion of Lab and Activity Teaching Effectiveness (SOLATE) surveys.

Institutional Research & Strategic Analytics (IRSA) is collaborating with Information Technology (IT) on the technical implementation and integrations of Explorance Blue. We are preparing to launch the SOTE/SOLATE Pilot Project in Explorance Blue during Spring 2026. 

In consultation with the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate, Professional Standards Committee, and Student Evaluation Review Board, the pilot project will include course evaluations for all course sections ending on or after March 12 that are taught by full professors. This pilot project will allow the implementation team to thoroughly test system integrations and features, evaluate data accuracy, and configure the reporting capabilities before the full deployment scheduled for Fall 2026. The findings and recommendations will be reported to the aforementioned governance bodies.

Leading up to and during the Spring 2026 SOTE and SOLATE administration, full professors and the broader faculty community will be provided ongoing updates, guidance, and training in preparation for the full launch in Fall 2026. The Spring 2026 pilot will be limited to minimize any potential impact on the RTP process for faculty undergoing review in the near future. 

Questions

If you have any questions regarding the Explorance Blue Implementation, please do not hesitate to contact us at institutional-research@sjsu.edu.