Shirley,
Summative and formative evaluations can provide you with different information at different times. The rubrics are typically used for the summative evaluations and help all stakeholders understand the expectations. Thanks again for your input in these forums.
I feel the student feedback is very important as well. The student grades and interaction is also a great tool to evaluate syllabus and material.
Kim Colston
Kim,
I love getting feedback from the students. That feedback helps us make edits to the course and help students be successful. Nice job.
one of the issues we have arise here is we are already doing an evaluation every three weeks. so when we add in more evaluations they jsut breeze through them sometimes and you get all great or all bad because sometimes they dont even read if a 1 or a 5 is good. I am interested to try some of these different methods of assessment and jsut present them a little differently so that they do not get into the "Great, another evaluation" mode.
Bob,
You are doing course evaluations every three weeks?
Why?
I hate to say it but I think grades are important. If there are to many low grades there is a problem. Then the course assignments, objectives etc need to be reviewed as well as comparing the grade to those of other instructors teaching the same class.
Question tools seem to work better for me. This allows me to keep the lines of communication open. Allowing the forum to be oral or written comprehensive feedback will help me as an instructor to provide a balance in my classroom.
Alfred,
Don't hate to say it - grades are important. It does provide us with an overview of how students did, but it doesn't tell us why they did well or poorly. Additional formative feedback may be helpful. Thanks!
Kimberly,
Using different questioning techniques can be beneficial. Open communication is a must if we want students to feel they can provide feedback and we will listen. Thanks!
Course evaluations are part of the process of learning about a course. Also, student feedback otherwise is part of that process as well.
Hello Dr. Crews,
I think it takes all of them. I do not think grades alone is enough because of the make up of students I have. In one section I may have students who take fewer corrections, and the next time my students may require more attention and corrections. The Portfolios are good because of the overview it gives over a course period. Student evaluations are important because I have had students make suggestions that I have implemented because it gives me an idea of what else they need to implement their learning. I also like Peer evaluations. I am new at online teaching and I need all of the guidance I can get.
Thanks
Ruby W.
Industry standards and advancements. I teach dental assisting and that science is constantly changing and improving. Of course the basics of the anatomy for example do not but the courses that teach dental materials and Chairside procedures are constantly changing. Evaluating the course content to what is being done in the field is key.
Laurie,
Student feedback through course evaluations or at other times (formative feedback) are both essential to help us improve the learning environment. Thanks!
Ruby,
When you use a variety of evaluations, you get a more well-rounded response about how to improve the course and help students learn better. Thanks!
Kathleen,
Standards are essential to so many different careers. It's important to make sure students reach their individual goals as well as the professional standards. Thanks for your input.
I think that the most comprehensive feedback comes from my student evaluations. I encourage students to be honest and open about my courses and I ask for recommended improvements at the end of my course through live chats and discussion forums. After review of student evaluations, I am able to determine course revisions that should be made before the course is taught again. After all, our students are consumers and we want them to stay committed to their programs of study.
Do you think that it is a good idea to create a "suggestion" discussion forum toward the end of the course? Do you think that students would be less likely to participate because it is not anonymous?
Jacinda,
Student evaluations give us great information. I agree about the suggestion discussion board and I always ask the students to list one thing that could be done to make the course better when they complete the course evaluation. We can do this anonymously in our LMS, but if you can't, I think some students will still post something. I've learned a lot from students.
Dr. Crews, it is difficult to decide on one type of evaluation. Though it is a bit traditional, I find that student evaluations (i.e., end of course) can provide more comprehensive information. They tend to cover a variety of aspects of the course, so it helps to get a better overall picture. But using these in isolation can lead to a distorted picture as well.
Nicole
I find this question difficult to answer because it depends on the course and the students within the course. Students are as dynamic as the course itself. Every course offers new opportunities. The opportunities exist in the form of feedback, but also in the form of course development and delivery. Thus, grades can help evaluate the course and close the loop. Student evaluations can assist in closing the loop as long as these evaluations are not used against an instructor in a negative way (prevents instructors from gaining additional courses, etc.). Peer evaluation is important in closing the loop as it allows an outsider to view the course for effectiveness. :)
I like looking at the written comments by student evaluations.
I also like to have another online instructor review my syllabus and course materials.
I also like to view the freuqency of class participation in chat sessions and discussion boards.
