Evaluation
Course evaluations should not be centered on whether or not the student liked/disliked the instructor, but whether the course provided an opportunity for learning through the quality of the learning experience designed, the quality of learner-instructor interaction, and whether the course reinforced the achievement of the learning objectives.
Marcia L. Brown, PhD, PMP
Jim,
I also ask for formative feedback from the students during the course. When they see that you actually care about their feedback, they are more likely to complete the end of course evaluation. Thanks!
Marcia,
I agree with what you say - I just have an issue with getting the students to actually take the survey. I find myself emailing my better students individually to ask them to take the survey. This method has helped.
~Jim DeLapine
rebecca,
Yes, students are the reason we are in this business. Keep evaluations coming from them for sure and the others can supplement that information with their perspective. Thanks!
students come first & we must use multiple evaluation sources: peer observation, department heads, someone from the industry, etc.
Dawn & Marcia,
It takes more than one form of assessment to get the whole picture, your right! Thanks for continuing the conversation.
Hi Marcia –
There is no single form of assessment that would provide the comprehensive feedback needed. Thus, multiple methods and sources must be used, including quantitative and qualitative questions. Courses should be evaluated frequently by department chairs, as well as faculty themselves. In addition, accreditation audits and other regulatory reviews must be conducted. Learning must be assessed at program level as well as course level.
Now the issue comes from End of the Course Teaching Evaluations completed by students. This is an important part of any evaluation process, although, I have to agree that it becomes a popularity contest, and if a professor did not grant an extension, an A grade, etc. that the student was expecting, then those evaluations can become a nightmare.
Thank you,
Dawn
Paula,
You are right on track. We have to help our students stay on track. I do not accept late work. Guess what - neither does my boss. . .life skill. ;-)
I agree with this thought as students will often negatively evaluate the course because the instructor didn't give them an extension or because they did poorly even if it was due to their poor attendance, etc. The points you mentioned are more important than whether they liked or disliked me.
Julia ,
Positive feedback connected with constructive feedback is the key. We want to help students improve through our meaningful feedback. Thanks for your input.
Dr. Brown:
Personal preferenes should not be a part of the course evaluation. I agree with you on that aspect. Focusing on positive feedback which can help future classes is the approach which I recommend.
Julia Huston
Marie,
Yes, I always ask students to list suggestions for improvement. I typically ask for a stop, start, continue assessment from students. What should I stop doing, start doing, and continue to do. Thanks for your input.
Dr. Tena B. Crews
Marcia
I agree with your comments. One of the things I try to emphasize in my class is that the student be honest when they receive the assessment from the school about my course. I ask them to focus on comments for improvements and suggestions. I also mention that I do read the comments and will implement them as appropriate.
cindi ,
This is why rubrics and good criteria are essential. It is important that the students understand the high expectstions they are being held to. Thanks for sharing.
I agree. I recall an email from a student who complained that if I wasn't so picky about format (basically, does the length of what you submitted match the length required in the assignment details) she could have passed with a C.
I do admit that I am picky about them following the directions for the assignment (answer in 3-4 complete paragraphs) but I am also very clear in my rubric as to what that means (post 3-4 complete paragraphs & you get 100% on that criterion,if I can easily make it into at least 3 you get 80%, if I have to cut & paste parts from different paragraphs & rearrange them to get at least 3 then you get 70%, & if there is no way I can possibly make at least 3 paragraphs you get a 60%). I also make sure that information is available prior to any assignment being due as well as copying & pasting the rubric into the feedback and highlighted the section under 60% to any students that scored that.
I have also noticed that 90-95% of the time if I get a student evaluation with actual comments added (rather than just a score on a Likert scale) that I can identify which negative comments came from which students simply on the basis of what they said.
Also, it does seem that the negative ones seem to outweigh the positive ones (not that there are more, but that they seem to be given more weight). I received one where a student thought that my chats didn't align with the quiz (I actually start with the quiz in mind & make sure that every question on it is covered by the PowerPoints), the suggestion on how to improve that was to do exactly what I was already doing (make sure that all the quiz questions were covered in the PowerPoints). But when the next one said did the instructor cover what you expected & the answer marked was no but the comment was "She not only covered it but went beyond it", that wasn't mentioned.
Marshall,
Engaging students is not just with the content, but with each other and the instructor. This develops through a well-rounded course and good communication. Thanks!
Right, it is the interaction between students and with faculty that can be a valued experienced for them, since it is an online delivery of class you have to make the discussion a priority.
Leah,
The best advice I have for instructors is to do your best, treat all students the same, use rubrics and be consistent, and don't take all comments from the evaluations personally. Keep up the good work.
They should but I still find comments in mind such as "I did not deserve to fail" and then all low scores. It is frustrating that such stake is placed in student evaluations when many times they are given based on popularity not the actual content/learning or teaching.
Valerie,
I think students are honest and see things in a variety of ways. Some may connect likability to quality, but others will be unbiased and assess the online environment. It's always worth asking.
