Curiously enough I have not found that online student evaluations to be much more effective and remedial than the on ground classes. The exception is the absolutes e.g. terrible text, etc. Perhaps there is a mid-point that would satisfy our need for constructive review?
400? That's remarkable. Well, the upside is that you have a sufficiently large sample from which to generate assessments. The downside - an N=400. Good luck.
Interesting question. I lean towards the pretest/posttest evaluations because of a natural inclination for assessment. The idea of being able to take a starting point and end point as my baselines for measuring effectiveness is very appealing.
For me, this approach is a very pragmatic type of beta testing that will (hopefully) enable me to measure success and identify soft spots in my instructional approach. Not foolproof but certainly a helpful form of evaluation for me.
I believe instructor and student evaluations with open ended questions. This would allow the students to share input in detailed form. The instructor could integrate comments. The instructors could also provide feedback to help in advancing teaching methods and content in the course.
The focus on the proper development of the curriculum. I have taught an online course whereby the assignments were of set of content but the course reading material and course textbook were totally different. The link between the two made the assignments challenging for some students in the questions between the reading material and assignments being generated. I did provide feedback on the course to the curriculum development department and was involved in a very heavy discussion about that particular course and those issues. I also did provide further feedback to the students to clarify what the assignments were requiring them to do as well as other outside resources. I even suggested the name of the course be changed. Sadly enough, no feedback was provided for what was generated or if the course content was revised. It can be frustrating sometimes when feedback is asked and nothing comes of it.
william,
Using comments as an editor is great. Be careful not to make all of the specific edits for the students s you are then doing their work. Thanks for your input.
I like the feed back I give when a student turns in aMS word document. I am able to comment on the papar, showing exactle where the error is . This will help the student understand.
Eleanor,
Focus groups do provide much information that would be beneficial in the course revision process. They can be very insightful. I have used e-portfolios and it's a great way for students to show how much they have improved. Thanks for your input.
While all of them would contribute, I think the interview or a focus group would give the most comprehensive feedback because it would provide me with the oppotunity to ask open-ended questions with follow-up questions. I would have to factor in personal biases so it may not be the most objective method, but it would probably be one of the most insightful. Second I guess would be the portfolio because it would reflect what was learned, how, and possibly the most effective methods of delivery.
James,
Thanks for your input. This provides a good bit of information about different types of assessment techniques. Thanks again.
Tomi,
Right. We need to use a variety of assessment types to get as much information as possible. Thanks for your input.
Jerry,
You are right. Different types of assessment play various roles in the assessment process. Thanks for your input.
Hello,
I am all for multiple forms of evaluation. First I like a pre-test / post-test tool. My wife is a teacher for a math intervention program for K-12 Online. They use this method and it has been very successful in showing the improvement student have after going through the program.
I also like to use course grades -- if they are too high, why -- is the material too easy for this level or is the assessment simply too easy. If too low, why are students not learning the material or is there a problem with the assessment materials (or a particular assessment material)?
Peer reviews are always helpful too, but I would take this beyond he designers of the course, but also to the instructors who teach the course.
An assignment scan and syllabus review are especially important if you are using new materials or online materials -- as links or online materials may go away.
Finally I am a big believer in concept and mind maps. Getting the big picture and seeeing how the concepts align throughout the course is important to ensure the course makes sense.
Thanks, Jim
There is no single form of assessment that would provide the comprehensive feedback needed. Thus, multiple methods and sources must be used. End of the Course Teaching Evaluation completed by students in an important part. This must include quantitative and qualititative questions. Also, courses should be evaluated frequently by faculty managers 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.
Ithink all the different types of evaluations play their own roles in different ways to help me improve on the quality of the course, but I find having a meaningful input from peers helps me more especially if the person has taught the same or similar course before.
Jerry.
Kurt,
Right on. After you teach the class once, see how the grade unfold, and look at the student evaluations, you can then really make some changes for the better. Thanks for your input.
In my experience as an author, the first real test is the combination of grades/work completed as well as the student evaluation.
These two things will give the student perspective that may not have been fully realized when the course was authored by instructors/industry professionals.
Kurt "Trip" Bauer
Mark,
Colleagues, especially if they have taught online before, can look at your course with a different view. It's good to include them. Thanks!
Todd,
combination plans are good. When you involve students and provide specific feedback, it benefits the students. Thanks for your input.
Steve and Gary,
The feedback I get from students is both in a formative format during the course and end of course surveys. When you engage students in assessment during the course, they are more likely to provide more feedback during the end of course surveys.
