Evaluations
Evaluating every instructor at the end of their term is very important.
No argument here, Russell. Tell me more about the basis for the evaluation: what will you measure, how often, who does the evaluation – students, administration, department head, how will you make changes, who will see the results of the evaluation, etc.?
While evaluations a th end of the quarter are good, what about evaluations at the beginning, say week three, to see if students are thinking about droping because of something going on in the classroom.
I’ve never been a big fan of end of period surveys: students just want to get out of the classroom and are concerned that the instructor might figure it out if they say something negative. We used to do a survey in the middle of the term that went to the instructor only so I think your thought is a good one, Joe. It was designed to give students an opportunity to tell the instructor how things were going while there was still time to make corrections. Questions centered on the communication going on in the classroom.
We use evaluations each quarter where the students first evaluate the school and the courses offered and then the instructor and the specific course taught at a different time. I think student evaluations are helpful, but I know many students put very little thought into the process and avoid any constructive feedback. What are some other ideas to gather more relevant student opinions/feedback?
Paul, at my former school we asked students to complete mid-term evaluations that went only to the instructor. The questions related to how well the instructor was connecting with the students and came at a point early enough in the term for the student to see some impact. Obviously, if the instructor didn't make appropriate adjustments it would be reflected in the final evaluation.
Separating content and delivery is a good idea.
We use evaluations at our school also. I encourage my students to write comments not just quickly go through and circle numbers in the rating system. However,the majority of these evaluations rarely have any comments.
On a personal note, I like to pose an evaluation type question on my final exam. An example, "How do you believe the information you learned in this course will help you in the future?" The students know that response to this question does not count as an exam question, and they will not be penalized for their answers. If I find constructive comments on how the course could have been improved, I try to revamp for the next quarter.
Cynthia, I think that asking the students to relate course content to career is a great idea. Why don't you grade the response? Don't students view the question as optional or unimportant if it's not graded?
I agree but the Dean or Department chair should eval the class after 4-6 weeks of the class starting
How does this evaluation process work, Michelle?
Equally as important, is to evaluate instructors during their term. We expect our educational management teams to sit in every classroom at least 3 times a term (6 weeks) and evaluate what they observed. This allows for feedback for the instructor right away -- when we still may be able to make a positive change. Also, it reinforces with our students that the education team is part of what happens in the class. This has had significant effects.
Wow, that's a lot of observation. Does the evaluation last for the entire class session? Who is on the educational management team? How is feedback delivered and how often?
Yes it is, but it is one the best things we could do. In our schools that really implemented this system, drops fell of by as much as 10%. More importantly, certification exam 1st time pass rates jumped almost 35%.
An education manager (Program Manager, Department Chair, Director of Education, Assistant DOE) will go into the classroom for 30 - 45 minutes and observe. We have a checklist of items that we observe such as: Is the classroom tidy and organized; Are the Student Engaged; Does the instructor use a variety of techiques; etc.
We will deliver our results to the instructor that day -- along with suggestions. At subsequent observations, we look to see if the suggestions have been implemented. Also, all of these observations are sent to the Home Office as well. We use these to help us design in-service materials.
Yes it is, but it has tremendous results. In the schools that do this regularly, we saw a 10% reduction of drops and a 35% increase of first time pass rates on National Certification exams.
An education manager (Director of Education, Assistant DOE, Program Manager, Department Chair, etc.) will go into a classroom for about 30-45 minutes. During this time they look for various things like whether or not they are following the curriculum, their students are engaged, they are using various techniques.
At the end of the class, instructor will get a copy of this evaluation with some suggestions. Then, in subsequent evaluations, the manager will look to see if the suggestions have been acted upon. Additionally, these are sent to the Home Office. This information helps us create better in-service and training materials.
If the students are honest on the eval the instructor can learn to teach to the students how they learn.
About teacher evaluations from other instructors...I understand this is a necessary requirement but often wonder how it really helps? Often an observer will sit in the classroom and listen for 15 minutes which is not really representative of a course. I lecture, show films, have discussions, demonstrations, etc. and the 15-minute interval may not be during a dynamic time.
Student evals are important and offer good feedback, however, there are students who feel this is "payback time." They will mark a negative number no matter how "good" a teacher is.
In class evaluations are tough for all parties. The issues you cite are a problem for the evaluator as well. They know that 15 minutes isn't enough time to experience the instructor's full range of skills. However, most instructors don't want the evaluator sitting through a full class or multiple classes.
One alternative is to record classes and allow the evaluator to review the instructor's performance any time without being intrusive.
