The type of evaluation that I think provides the most comprehensive feedback to close the loop is student grades/performance and self-evaluation. These two types of evaluations help provide quantitative and qualitative feedback.
Elke,
And, when you get the feedback from the students do the best you can to update the course for the next time. Thanks for your input.
I agree, I believe the best evaluation if the course is running smooth you should talk to the students or listen! both combined grades and interviews will give you an idea if your course is planed well.
Sherrie,
Thanks for yout input on this forum. It is nice to see that you use a combination of feedback. Student feedback is very different than peer review. Nice job.
With online classes, I think that evaluation methods are different for every class, and more difficult to conduct. With student feedback surveys, only the very satisfied or very dissatisfied students offer detailed feedback which isn't usually constructive. Pre-tests and post-tests would be very useful, but points would have to be awarded to get students to do them. Student interviews would be a great way to go. The problem there is coordination with busy students all over the country.
Course mapping is essential to ensure that content matches objectives, and grading is the easiest way to measure whether student outcomes meet the class objectives. Peer evaluation is also useful. Another set of eyes to see what you may have missed helps to cover all bases. Of course, professionals don't have the same insight into student learning as the students themselves.
So, for evaluation types for online classes, I lean toward grading, any useful comments in the student feedback surveys and peer review.
Creating rubrics I think would be best. You have more structure from objectives all the way down to achieving accuracy with your constant evaluations.
Mark,
It's hard to keep up, but we have to continue to try. The students many times can help us if we let them.
As technology continues to change, a person has to keep up with the times. As an instructor information should been kept current, so the student can recieve the best possilbe info at the time.
Tina,
You have been busy with these forums. Thank you for your input.
Asking students what they don't understand is a great way to improve the course the next time.
Thanks!
The type of evaluation that provides me the most feedback is an open discussion forum where students are compelled to list the topics they still don't understand and to also reply to those topics that they do understand. This discussion forum is always the week before the final exam.
Angela,
Sounds like you are incorporating a variety of types of evaluations. The students can give you a whole different perspective from other faculty or your own review.
Nice job.
I also agree that peer observation is a great evaluation tool. I like the idea of sitting in as a student to get a feel for the course from their perspective to determine what is working and what is not working.
Hard to pick just one items as truly it needs to be a collaboration of many different evaluation methods. For me, I look at student grades and student end of course surveys to get feedback from that side of things. From the faculty perspective, I like to look at pre-session reviews and end of course surveys to get a feel for the instructors perspective.
Earle,
There are a variety of evaluations and it is important to find what works for you. Sometimes it's student feedback, others peer feedback, etc.
Thanks!
You need to modify the types of evaluation to fit the situation. One method may not work all of the time in all situations.
Aaron,
Student evaluations are very important. You must develop a way to see if they are learning the course objectives and if they can "do the job."
If you have the opportunity to get feedback from people who hire them, that would be valuable too.
Thanks!
Your student. A)how they feel about what they have learned and B) can they function in the industry that the course was supposed to prepare them for. I believe that they are the most comprehensive. They are the tools created or examples if you will of your designed online module.
I like to use a combination of:
1. Student Evaluations
2. Peer Review
3. Also community advisory and externship providor opinion is also very valuable.
Robert,
Thanks for you input. There are so many types of evaluations and we all have to find what works for us and our students, but of course, what measures what we are tying to measure.
Thanks again.
Question: In looking at the different types of evaluation, which do you think would provide you with the most comprehensive feedback that would allow you to close the loop?
The different types of evaluation explained are listed as follows:
Course Grades
Syllabus Scan
Assignments and Examinations
Portfolio
Question Tools
Pretest/Posttest
Concept Maps
Structured Interviews/Focus Groups
Student Evaluations of the Course
Peer Observation/Review of Course Materials
Clearly, no one evaluation type will suffice; and, the one evaluation type implied, but not listed, is the integration of all the evaluation types. I think the implied evaluation type of integrating all of the evaluation types would provide me the most comprehensive feedback.
