In looking at the different types of evaluation, I think the most comprehensive feedback would come from students, myself, other educators and the professional community/industry leaders (such as an advisory board).
Julie Ann,
You have listed a wealth of stakeholders. We learn from them all and they bring different perspectives to the table. Thanks!
When closing the loop, I use feedback from students on various activities, student assessments, feedback from colleagues, as well as the overall success of the course. Information from difference sources must be collected in an effort to successfully close the loop.
I find that getting feedback from students, the institutions and your peers is the best and most comprehensive feedback that allows me to close the loop. This does take some work, as you need to go beyond simple student evaluations, and must make the effort to obtain other evaluations. But, it has been very positive in my cases.
Stephanie,
Yes, I agree. That loop seems to go on and on and on. ;-) Getting a variety of feedback from others helps us see our class from different perspectives. Thanks!
Aleksandra,
Comprehensive is a good word to describe it. We want a comprehensive evaluation and many times that takes getting feedback from several people/groups. Thanks!
Whereas student performance could be used as feedback, I still value feedback in survey form from the students. We use a pretty comprehensive end of class survey to evaluate the class and the instructor. I'm sure we've all done well in a class we didn't necessarily like. However an outside perspective from the student after the course could provide action for revision. Thank you for the thoughts!
By seeing how well the students performed and did they reach the goal of the class. Also, peer reviews of the course from colleagues.
Michael,
I agree. I love to hear from the students and it's great information to help us update our courses. Thanks for your input.
Dr. Tena Crews
Engelbert,
Good point. Students performance and getting feedback from peers is also a great way to get different perspectives on your course. Thanks!
I like both student feedback as well as fellow instructor feedback. Even within my professional career, I am always seeking the feedback from participants or students, and other leaders or faculty to let me know what works and what doesn't. Even after the length of time I have been doing this, I still evaluate each lecture to make sure they were effective.
Martin,
Seeking feedback can only help you take information to make the course better. Thanks for your input.
I think the most helpful tool for evaluation can be peer, department, and student feedback. It is important for online instructors to have a sense of community with their peers and what might be working or not working in the classroom. Course mentor or leaders are invaluable when it comes to helping an instructor to see how they can improve and provide praise when needed. So many online institutions fail to empower and encourage their teachers and I feel very fortunate now to be a part of a system that values their employees and provides both positive and constructive feedback. Likewise, student feedback is great but can be overly biased - it seems the struggling students are quick to use it is a means to complain and students who are doing well often skip the feedback. This can lead to lopsided results. It helps to not only have anonymous feedback but to also have the feedback as something required of every student to truly see a complete picture. One thing I have seen in the past and enjoyed is a component (a discussion forum thread) at the end of the course that reflects upon the overall course and instruction. This way the students can interact with peers and the teacher to discus what they liked and what they struggled with.
Tanya,
It's the variety of feedback, as you noted, that provides a well-rounded basis of feedback. As we keep editing our courses, we need to continue getting feedback. Nice job.
I think the most important is the student evaluations. I have found that Rubrics was very effective in measuring the level of the students understanding of the objectives. Recently, a colleague and I were proctoring an oral exam and after, we were able to evaluate each other on our processes. I found this peer-assessment very helpful.
Mona,
Good point. The rubrics are helpful in formative, summative and peer-assessment. Thanks for your input.
The most effective types of evaluations that would close the loop are as follows;
1. Syllabus Scan - this provides essential information which indicates the instructor is covering all required material. This is the most fundamental requirement for the course to ensure it meets industry and professional standards. For example, if the syllabus lists 17 chapters per semester these need to be taught. It was common to have instructors who did not finish the syllabus which means it does not meet standards.
2. Assignments and Examinations - these provide the best tools to find if the concepts taught are being learned. Poor scores confirm information not being learned. The reasons why may or may not relate to the course or instructor.
3. Pretest/Posttest - these may clearly show an increase in learning and provide a baseline for each student. These usually show a great improvement, and can identify areas for improvements. Based on the pretest results the course may be revised for that specific class.
4. Student Evaluation of the Course - the student perspective is essential to provide for improvements and style needed by the learners.
5. Instructor evaluation and comments on each student to facilitate change. It may be one or two paragraphs which would help each individual student improve learning. These could be shared by all instructors until the student graduates.
Dr. James F. De Bouno Jr., ND, PhD
Adjunct Instructor - Environmental Science
I think the end of course evaluations done by the students gives me some of the best feedback about the style in which the loop should be closed. Verbal, video, text, etc.
James,
Wow! This is a variety of evaluations. Thanks for the breath of information.
Nice job.
Kyle,
Many rely on the end of course evaluation, but make sure you get some feedback from all students along the way in case they all do not complete the final course evaluation. Thanks!
