| At nearly every college and university, it has become | | | | - The scheduling of the activity at the close of the |
| common practice to ask students to evaluate | | | | term. |
| instructor and course effectiveness at the conclusion | | | | - The administration of the evaluation, and transport |
| of each term. Many professors dread this experience | | | | of forms, by someone other than the instructor (an |
| and make their negative opinions on the issue known | | | | administrator, peer teacher, or student). |
| to their peers, and sometimes even to students. | | | | - The instructor's leaving the classroom during the |
| Remember, however, that if you have made earlier | | | | administration of the evaluation. |
| efforts at informal evaluation - student input, peer | | | | - The availability of the completed forms for the |
| review, self-assessment by audio- and videotape - | | | | professor to review only after the submission of |
| then this information has provided you with a | | | | end-of-term reports, or after a specific date. |
| significant edge. | | | | Many administrators view taking liberties with these |
| Although admittedly imperfect, the practice of | | | | procedures, even unintentionally, as a breach of |
| conducting student evaluations is likely to take on | | | | ethical standards. Therefore make sure you know |
| even more significance in an age of increased | | | | exactly what to do before administering your first |
| accountability. Institutional leaders rely on the results, | | | | official evaluation. |
| so to openly fault the process can set up some | | | | To achieve the goal of improving your teaching |
| unhealthy psychological dynamics in the classroom or | | | | effectiveness, you must manage the ratings process |
| between you and the administration. As stated | | | | carefully. First, give students sufficient time to |
| earlier, the process especially affects contract | | | | complete the form thoughtfully. Scheduling the |
| renewal decisions for adjunct faculty and is factored | | | | evaluation as the last activity of a given class |
| into tenure decisions for new faculty. Therefore, it is | | | | meeting or immediately before a timed final exam is |
| wise to view student evaluation in its most positive | | | | likely to reduce the quality of student input. Introduce |
| light - an opportunity to gain feedback that will enable | | | | the activity professionally, and emphasize its value. |
| you to improve the quality of your instruction in | | | | Finally, review the evaluation forms as soon as |
| succeeding courses. | | | | possible while the issues they raise are still fresh in |
| Most official student rating processes employ some | | | | your mind (Hilt, 2001). |
| type of standardized form, unique to a particular | | | | You may be surprised the first few times you read |
| instructional unit or to the institution as a whole. The | | | | the official evaluations. Students will sometimes rate |
| form typically contains a series of statements such | | | | your performance below what you believe it should |
| as the following: | | | | be, or they may write comments that are blatantly |
| - The instructor was knowledgeable in the subject | | | | unfair, and perhaps not even true. This is one of the |
| area. | | | | reasons it makes sense to help students understand |
| - The instructor was well prepared for each class | | | | which kinds of comments are appropriate and which |
| meeting; | | | | are not. Help them understand that negative |
| - The instructor presented the material in a clearly | | | | statements should be delivered in the spirit of being |
| understandable manner. | | | | helpful. Mean-spirited statements make it difficult for |
| - The course examinations and other evaluative | | | | the professor to sort out his or her reaction to being |
| measures fairly and accurately measured students' | | | | attacked from any legitimate complaints or concerns |
| mastery of the course material. | | | | (Weimer, 1990). |
| - The methods of instruction were effective and | | | | Another troubling aspect you may find is that |
| appropriate for this course. | | | | different students' comments are in direct conflict |
| - The instructor used class time wisely, including | | | | with each other. One student may praise your |
| starting and ending on time. | | | | anecdotes as good ways of emphasizing points while |
| Accompanying these is, typically, a Likert scale, which | | | | another may criticize them as tangential and |
| consists of strongly agree through strongly disagree, | | | | irrelevant. There is no way to guarantee that all |
| or some similar system, to which numerical values can | | | | students will perceive your class the same way. You |
| be applied. Such a system enables the calculation of | | | | need to remember this fact as you review your |
| an overall score and allows instructional leaders to | | | | evaluations. Your efforts to informally gather |
| make a variety of comparisons. Most forms also | | | | evaluative data throughout the term will likely |
| include several open-ended questions that enable | | | | prevent the type of significant negative feedback |
| students to provide comments on a wide range of | | | | that sometimes overwhelms the new professor. |
| issues. Since the results of student evaluation are so | | | | No one likes to be judged. However, that's life in the |
| critical, you would be very wise to obtain a copy of | | | | big city (or small college, or wherever you are |
| the form used in your teaching situation well in | | | | teaching). Far better to receive constructive |
| advance of its administration date. | | | | feedback so that you make make changes and |
| To protect the anonymity of students and validity of | | | | improvements than to be or remain at less than your |
| results, most colleges and universities have developed | | | | best. Students - and your institution - deserve the |
| their own procedures for administering student | | | | best from you. |
| evaluations. These typically include: | | | | |