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1. Evaluation and Assessment
1.3. Evaluation
Distributing and Responding to Early Course Evaluations
Asking students for feedback about your teaching early in a course can be one of the most valuable steps toward improving your effectiveness because it allows you to respond to the feedback while the course is still in progress. The best time for administering such early evaluations is usually in week 3-5 of the semester.
How to Begin
- Choose and/or create the form you intend to use. The attached handout, "Designing your Own Supplemental Evaluation Methods," can help you to identify what issues you would like to get feedback on and how to do so.
- Allow about 10 minutes at the beginning of the class for students to complete the forms. If you distribute the forms at the end of a class, students may have to hurry and you may receive much less information from the open-ended questions.
- Ask students to please write comments! Emphasize that even a few words or a sentence can give you valuable information.
- Tell students you want candid and constructive responses. Stress that the only purpose of the form is to help you improve.
- Let students know that you will talk with them about the main points
of the feedback you receive.
Preparing the Data
- Ratings and Checklist Items:
- Tabulate ratings items so that you can look for areas where you would most want to improve. Remember: the distribution of responses is as or even more important than the averages.
- Inputting this data into a spreadsheet or statistical program will not take long (e.g., 20 minutes per section) but then makes subsequent analysis easy.
- Comments and Suggestions:
- Create a list of reduced versions of students' comments.
- Note frequent or related comments, either marking the number of students making each comment or connecting common issues.
Interpreting the Feedback
- Identify ratings questions which identify areas of strength and needs for improvement. Consider both the average rating and the number of students rating particularly high or low.
- Read students' answers to open-ended questions carefully to find recurring themes and suggestions.
- Many people are tempted to dwell mainly on the criticisms or suggestions at this point. You can avoid this temptation more easily if you organize their comments in related clusters such as positive features, plans for change, suggestions which don't fit with the course goals or are beyond your control, and any comments which you aren't sure how to interpret.
- Look at the combination of ratings questions and the summary of students' comments to identify comments and suggestions which seem to have the most consensus.
- Consider discussing common themes with a teaching consultant or colleague who can help you to gain perspective on the comments and give you suggestions as to how to respond.
Discussing the feedback with the class
A critical part of the early evaluation process is discussing the feedback
you receive with your students. Thanking students for their effort and
input and attempting to respond to their feedback will set a positive
tone for the class regardless of all else and shows fundamental respect
for students' role in making the class work.
- Select 3-4 issues on which to report, with a balance of positive feedback and areas where you hope to address their needs more effectively. If you plan to make changes based on the student feedback, explain the changes and the rationale behind them.
- Frame your discussion so that you have a positive tone. It is important not to come across as defensive, angry or overly apologetic because these reactions can undermine students' trust and respect for you.
- Consider ways in which you can enlist students' support for your efforts to improve the class. For example, if students report than you talk too fast or too softly, ask them to let you know nicely (perhaps via a hand signal) so that you can adjust quickly. Or, if students report difficulty understanding the material, you might propose some ideas such as pausing longer, summarizing the main points more often, or encouraging them to ask more questions and discuss what seems most helpful.
Adapted from the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence at Carnegie Mellon University
