Christine,
Using a variety if ways to get feedback about your course will provide different perspectives. This will help tremendously. Thanks.
Penelope,
But do the students grades give you adequate feedback on the course and what needs to be improved? Just wondering your thoughts on that.
Ejike and Cecil,
Good point about analyzing the data. We have to use the data to the best of our ability to improve the course and our teaching. Thanks.
Dr. Crews,
Thank you for your discussion topic.
I really thrive from my students. Thus, I love getting back the results from the student evaluations. I really take to heart the comments that students provide in these evaluations. I also think that student grades are a great way to self-evaluate, especially when it comes to tests. It is always very valuable to see how well the students are comprehending and retaining the information.
Hannah
Ejike,
I continue to say that a variety of feedback methods provides us, the instructors, with a variety of feedback. These come from different perspectives and can help us improve the course immensely. Thanks for your input.
Hannah,
Students provide us with a wealth of information that helps us improve our courses. We want to listen with a critical ear and do what we can to make sure we are helping all students move forward toward the learning objectives. Thanks!
The course mentions course grades, syllabus scanning, assignments and exams, portfolio, questioning tools, pre and post testing, concept maps, structured interviews, student course evaluations, and peer observations. All of which are useful suggestions.
Given that there are three stakeholders each should dynamically interact on the course delivery and level of success. Student evaluations are helpful, particularly when they encourage feedback on the course aspects. Institutional reviews are useful as they tract retention, faculty performance, and comparative course outcomes. And the instructor self-evaluation is essential as a reflective process.
A popular concept in hospital administration is Continuous Quality Improvement. The concept introduced in the 1990s is a rudder for clinical care as delivered to patients. CQI asks three important questions which I use in evaluating courses at the end. Are doing the right things? Are we doing things right? How can we be certain that we’re doing the right things the first time and every time?
I also question the full credibility of student evaluations of a course. Often they contain useful suggestions. But there are some disgruntled student that simply believe their failure in the assignments is due to the instructor bias. How often I've hear, "I never received a C grade in the course of my graduate degree!" Well, there's always a first time.
Robert,
There are a variety of stakeholders and a variety of evaluations are beneficial as well. Each person who provides information through evaluations comes at it from different perspectives that can all help the instructor. Thanks!
Robert,
You are right. There are things we have to take with a grain of salt, but we also have to "take" all comments. I try to encourage students to comments on the course content, set up, etc. and not their own personal grades. But, you're right - there is a first time for everything! ;-)
I think student evaluations are the most comprehensive. They allow you to see how well the course is designed adn were the students able to navigate with little or no assistance and get the desired outcome of learned curriculum.
Katherine,
The students do give us good information from their perspective. We can learn a lot from them. Thanks so much.
I evaluate my course by my students.
Students will ultimately complain or praise what they liked and didn't like. If an assignment or test question is missed by more than a hand full of students it may be a confusing question or simply one that is bad.
I'll look at the assignment and or test question and valuate it.
I think using an interview-type evaluation and also looking at grades would give you a good idea of the ability of the class to teach the students the material, while also giving the student a good experience.
Debra,
Definitely. We can get good information from end of course evaluations, but including an interview process would help even more. We do this at the end of program graduation and get lots of info. Thanks.
Tena,
As this unit so accurately states, the most comprehensive feedback system would be one which utilizes multiple evaluation techniques. An important factor to remember in the evaluation process is to ensure all three stakeholders (students, institution and professional peers) are involved in the evaluation process. Another important aspect to take into account is to ensure that the course is reviewed using both quantitative evaluations and qualitative evaluations. Finally, it is important to remember that course evaluation is an ongoing process that never ends.
Jim
Donna,
Thank you very much for your post. I agree that both administrative and student feedback is critical to an effective evaluation. However, I would also recommend peer/industry feedback as well. This would provide information on the relevance of the material.
Thanks
Jim
All of them contribute to a real feedback, but taking into consideration students' complaints will make you perform changes in the program that will enhance it and will help students in the learning process.
Sean,
Glad you brought up the point about test questions. After every test, I also go over the ones missed by more than a third of the students. If they can justify their answer, I'll give them the credit. And, I'll edit the test question before the next use. Thanks!
James,
We do get different perspectives when we use a variety of evaluation techniques. All stakeholders are important components of the evaluation process. And, it is ongoing, just like so many other things in our courses. Nice job.
