IASystem vs IDEA Instruments
IASystem
iasystem.orgIDEA Instruments
help.anthology.comSide by side
| Figure | IASystem | IDEA Instruments |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.13/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 7 | 0 |
| Spec score · Course Evaluation Software | 8.7 (#4) | 7.1 (#18) |
| API | A web API is offered for campus integrations such as displaying evaluation links in a student portal. | Evaluate provides a web service that institutions can use to query whether a student completed an evaluation for a course section and term. |
| LMS integration | Its LTI tool places evaluation access in Canvas, Blackboard and other LMS products. | Evaluate supports LTI connections that let students launch from their LMS and authenticate into Evaluate without signing in again. |
| Purpose | IASystem is a course evaluation system for colleges and universities assessing teaching and learning. | IDEA Instruments provide formative feedback with suggestions for improvement and summative feedback that can contribute to faculty evaluation. |
| Reporting | Reports include course summaries, combined course summaries, administrative high/low and ratings summaries, survey lists, and data exports. | Faculty receive customized reports with feedback and resources for improvement in specified areas. |
| Security | The product states that communications are encrypted with SSL. | Blackboard states its security program aligns to NIST and that several products complete annual SOC 2 Type 2 examinations; the page does not specify IDEA's individual certification status. |
| Support | The administrator guide lists general product support and separate University of Washington user support email addresses. | Evaluate support handles technical troubleshooting and can be contacted by ticket, phone, or chat. |
Plans
IASystem
- One-term pilot licenseFree
- Enrollment Category 6$1.59 a year
- Enrollment Category 5$1.64 a year
- Enrollment Category 4$1.74 a year
- Enrollment Category 3$1.79 a year
- Enrollment Category 2$1.85 a year
- Enrollment Category 1$1.90 a year
In their own words
IASystem
IASystem is a course evaluation system for colleges and universities assessing teaching and learning. It supports online and paper evaluations, with administrators able to customize forms across an institution, college, or department. Instructors can add course-specific scaled or open-ended questions. Students can access evaluations from Canvas, Blackboard, and other LMS applications through an LTI tool; a web API supports campus integrations such as displaying evaluation links in a student portal. Reports include course summaries, combined summaries, administrative high/low and ratings summaries, survey lists, and data exports. Institution-specific reliability estimates, item-level deciles, and regression analyses help interpret and adjust evaluation results. IASystem uses HTTPS, role-based permissions, and server-side processing for calculations, validations, and reports. Reports and extracts omit student names, IDs, and login information. A one-term pilot license is listed as free. Annual rates are per enrolled student, from $1.59 a year for institutions with 20,000 or more FTE students; enrollment categories list a 5,404 USD one-time setup fee. Paper forms and scanning cost extra, with costs depending on usage.
IDEA Instruments
IDEA Instruments are course-feedback surveys delivered through Anthology Evaluate for higher education. They provide formative suggestions for improving instruction and summative feedback for faculty evaluation, with attention to student learning. Diagnostic Feedback has 40 questions about learning objectives, teaching methods, and overall impressions. Learning Essentials has 18 questions summarizing progress on relevant objectives and course impressions. Teaching Essentials has 12 questions about teaching methods associated with instructor and course excellence. A separate six-question Feedback tool gathers student input during a semester. Diagnostic Feedback and Teaching Essentials adjust specified ratings for preparation, motivation, work habits, course difficulty, and class size, while reports show raw averages too. Faculty receive customized reports and improvement resources. Students access surveys through their campus Anthology portal. Evaluate supports LTI launches, Blackboard integrations, browser access, accessibility features, anonymous feedback, benchmarking, advanced reporting, and data export. Pricing is available on request.