UW–Madison has begun a multi-year transition from HelioCampus Assessment and Credentialing (formerly AEFIS) to Explorance Blue for digital course evaluations. The transition to the new system will unfold throughout 2025 and culminate in May 2026, after which HelioCampus AC will no longer be available.
The majority of faculty and staff currently using digital course evaluations will be asked to make the transition to Blue Explorance in spring 2026, with the support of campus and their local units.
The project is sponsored by the Division for Teaching and Learning and DoIT Academic Technology (AT), with the project implementation team consisting of faculty and staff representatives from across campus.
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Benefits of Explorance Blue
Driven by a need for enhanced functionality and improved user experience – as evidenced by users across campus (including via a survey) and via an in-depth technical review – the decision to transition to Explorance Blue was made to better meet the evolving needs of campus, instructors and students. Explorance Blue will help campus advance the student evaluation of teaching (SET) process by:
- Providing improved usability
- Streamlining student access
- Prioritizing accessibility
- Mitigating bias
- Helping increase response rates
- Offering enhanced reporting, including advanced analytics for actionable insights
- Reducing administrative tasks
The SET process is vital for shaping curriculum development, advancing teaching and enhancing student learning, and ultimately supports campus’ teaching excellence and student success.
Timeline
The transition to Blue Explorance will unfold throughout 2025 and culminate in May 2026. The majority of faculty and staff currently using digital course evaluations will be asked to make the transition to Blue Explorance in spring 2026, with the support of campus and their local units. Other high-level milestones include:
March 2025 – September 2025
- Tool implementation and system integration (SSO, data integration)
- Data archival plan established and communicated
- Cybersecurity
- Data governance review
- Accessibility evaluation
September 2025 – May 2026
- Training and onboarding (more info to come)
- Phased implementation – fall 2025 through May 2026
FAQ
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Why does this tool transition matter to instructors, administrators and students?
The transition to Blue Explorance matters because it enables more accurate and relevant feedback that can improve the teaching and learning experience at UW–Madison. Instructors benefit from clearer insights into their teaching effectiveness, administrators gain a more streamlined and effective system for gathering and analyzing data, and students have a greater opportunity to voice their opinions in a system that’s easier to navigate and more tailored to their courses.
How different is Blue Explorance from HelioCampus AC?
The new course evaluation system offers a more flexible and user-friendly interface compared to the current system. The upgraded system aims to enhance the experience for both instructors and students, while also providing greater insights into teaching and learning at UW–Madison.
What support will be provided to instructors and staff to make the transition to Blue Explorance?
When will instructors and staff be asked to make the transition?
The majority of faculty and staff currently using digital course evaluations will be asked to make the transition to Blue Explorance in spring 2026.
What will happen to the course evaluation data in HelioCampus AC?
The data from HelioCampus AC will not be migrated to the new system. Instead, individual instructors will be able to download the data until May 2026. In the summer of 2026, data will be archived by schools and colleges.
Will results in Blue Explorance be anonymized?
Yes. The system ensures that all feedback is anonymized, meaning no individual student responses will be identifiable. Summary data will be provided, with no personal identifiers attached. This process upholds confidentiality while allowing instructors to review and act on feedback.
Do instructors have to change anything in their teaching to better use course evaluations via Blue Explorance?
Instructors do not need to alter their teaching methods specifically to accommodate Blue Explorance. However, the feedback they receive may highlight areas for improvement or affirm successful practices. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on teaching and potentially implement any useful changes based on student feedback.
If you have additional questions or feedback, please contact us!
Project Team
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Implementation Team
The project implementation team consists of faculty and staff representatives from the following units, and is managed by Eric MacKay, academic project manager, DoIT AT.
- DoIT AT
- Office of Student Learning Assessment
- Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring
- School/College and department representatives (faculty and academic staff)
- Office of the Registrar
- Office of Data, Academic Planning, and Institutional Research
Sponsors
Executive Sponsors
- John Zumbrunnen, senior vice provost for academic affairs and vice provost for teaching and learning
- Tamara Walker, academic technology director and associate vice provost for learning technologies
Sponsors
- Nick Curtis, assessment director, Office of Student Learning Assessment
- Kristy Bergeron, Learn@UW associate director