I must admit that I never use this enough, but I like the idea that you ask your students. I used to believe that the student survey was enough, but as has been pointed out, the students, in most cases won’t take the time to give you the type of formative feedback that is required for an accurate evaluation of your course setup and teaching methodologies. I believe that you are far more likely to get valuable answers when you ask. I believe that is was Dr. Crews who suggested the three questions:
What should I start doing? What I stop doing? What should I continue doing?
We may not be able to do exactly as the student wishes, but it will lead us to a deeper reflection on the reasons that we have structured the course in the way that we have.
While thinking about all the different types of evaluation I realized that the most important part of evaluating a course or program is to never stop. Evaluations should always be ongoing so we can never get lazy or "too used to things as they are". I do believe that students hold a wealth of knowledge when it comes to evaluating a program or course, afterall they have navigated their way through and will provide the best feedback.
Lynn,
It is GREAT that you use students feedback throughout the course - formative assessment. So many times just a few questions to students like:
What would you like for me to start doing?
What would you like for me to stop doing?
Waht woudl you like for me to continue to do?
can make all the difference in the world. Just be able to justify why you cannot start doing something if you can't do it. For example, a student may suggest that you stop giving tests! ;-)
Nice job.
While all of the methods of feedback are important, two stand out for me : peer observation and the student interview. When creating a course I consult and collaborate with other instructors, especially within my department. Many times concepts or ways of presenting the material are new to me and my way of thinking. After implementation into the course I ask them to review my creation and provide honest feedback. It is difficult to push ourselves out of our comfort zone, but who better to do this with than our trusted colleagues!
The student interview is something I utilize throughout the course. I consistently ask for suggestions on how the material could be presented in another way. I ask them to think about what makes the most sense to them and provides an easier, more understandable direction.I truly learn more from them sometimes than they learn from me. They have come up with review games, analogies to remember information,and personal connections to offer relevance to the working world. It is so great to learn something new everyday!
Charlene,
Knowing your "students" is key to effective teaching. Many times I use a diagnostic evaluation the first day of class. It can be as simple as one question. "Here's the name of this course. . .what do you believe you already know about the topic?" OR You can have students assess their knowledge (beginner, intermediate learner, master) of the course objectives.
This lets you know what they believe they know and you can adjust the timeline of covering course content.
Asking students what their "muddiest point" is from a lecture, syllabus review, etc. is also essential. Many times students don't tell you what they don't understand so you have to ask(at times in several different ways). Nice job.
Michelle,
You are correct in that student feedback provides information to help you improve the course. Students many times do not feel their feedback on course evaluations is important because it does not benefit them. So, it must be stressed that you need their help in making the course better.
You can also ask for their feedback during the course and make improvements as you go along. It doesnt' always have to be at the end of the course.
Nice job.
I would have to take in to account all of the the stakeholders (my students, the school and my fellow teachers). I would use the grades earned by the students within the course,review the syllabus to ensure the course objectives are on target and the Question Tool to the students to identify 3 clear points and 3 muddy points of the course. I would also utilize the Pretest and Postest method.
I believe the most comprehensive feedback is obtained when the evaluation asks for specific examples of areas that were well done and areas that could be improved. For example, when students provide information regarding what they did or did not like in a course I am able to evaluate what I can do differently. If all I recieve from the student is a "grade" with no feedback then it does not help me know how to improve. If a peer reviews something I have done and tells me the positives and negatives I am able to take that information and improve my overall teaching methods.
Nicholas,
You are moving right along in this course. Thanks again for your input. Students evaluations do provide teachers with great information so that the course can be revised. This should be an ongoing process and not just done at the end of the course.
Ask for formative feedback throughout the course. Ask: "What should I start, stop and continue to do in this class." You might be surprised at the helpful answers you get!
Nice job.
I think that there are multiple ways to evaluate your ability to perform well as well as if the materials are on target. I think student evaluations are good because they recognize if there are issues with the course materials. I also think it is important to review the grades and assignments. If I see a lot of people are not doing well on their assignment and the paper aren't on par, maybe I should incorporate a tutorial prior to the course to guide students. If the exams seem to have low grades then it would be important for me to review how to improve the assestments. I think feedback is continous and we should always strive to improve and grow besides keeping the materials topical.
Ana,
Students seem to feel free to provide feedback to instructors. This is essential to improve the course. Peer feedback is also important as those who have taught the course before, or those who are familiar with teaching can provide essential tips which may also make the course better the next time it is taught.
Thank you.
I believe students feedback is the most essential feedback an instructor can receive. Students have no problem stating whether you have falied at something or not. To me, they are the ones who are most important in this equation.
I value students feedback over everything and re-evaluate my teaching methods and class structure based on their feedback.
Robert,
Developing that sense of trust is absolutely crucial. It may take time and you may actually develop it in different ways with different groups of students. And, as you noted, articulating (communicating) learning outcomes and expectations to students are also essential.
Nice job.
I think you have to find a balance of your own reflections, student assessments and the grading process. The most important thing, I think, is to encourage a sense of trust amongst the students so that you can get an accurate assessment from them. If the majority are not getting it there's a problem. If you can get them to articulate why, you can deliver a better course, pure and simple...
John,
I agree that these are important types of feedback. Getting others to provide feedback typically provides you with a vareity of feedback from many different perspectives.
Nice job.
Peer feedback and self-pfeedback may be the most important. The peer feedback helps you to see how the industry views it/you and the self feedback allows you have a better understanding of what worked and what did not.
Mike,
You are correct in that different groups of people have different perspectives and provide different feedback. Getting feedback from a variety of groups is essential.
When seeking advice from peers, it is also helpful to get advice from those who have taught the class before (if possible) and those who know nothing about the course topic. Sometimes those who know nothing about the course can provide tons of feedback about course design and layout.
Thanks for your input.
I weigh them similiarly and use more than one to close the loop.
I like being able to receive feedback from a student that will help improve my course as much as a peer providing feedback. The reason being that they are looking at the course from different perspectives and being able to say what would be an improvement.
I also want my peers to help me improve the delivery of the material.
Take care,
Mike
Mirian,
You bring up a good point about having instructional technologists and other professionals in the field of online teaching review your course. They bring a tremendous amount of talent to the table and can provide essential information to online instructors as far as how to design or implement an online course.
Thanks for adding to this conversation through your forums.
There are three sources of evaluation feedback that I would consider aside from my own.
1. student evaluations and recommendations
2. colleague (other faculty that teach the course)evaluations and recommendations
3. Instructional technologists or other professionals within the field of online teaching and learning
