Course evaluation

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A course evaluation is a paper or electronic questionnaire, which requires a written or selected response answer to a series of questions in order to evaluate the instruction of a given course. The term may also refer to the completed survey form or a summary of responses to questionnaires.

They are a means to produce useful feedback which the teacher and school can use to improve their quality of instruction. The process of (a) gathering information about the impact of learning and of teaching practice on student learning, (b) analyzing and interpreting this information, and (c) responding to and acting on the results, is valuable for several reasons (Rahman, 2006). They are beneficial because instructors can review how others interpret their teaching methods, thereby improving their instruction. The information can be also used by administrators, along with other input, to make summative decisions (e.g., decisions about promotion, tenure, salary increases, etc.) and make formative recommendations (e.g., identify areas where a faculty member needs to improve) (Dunegan, and Hrivnak, 2003). Typically, these evaluations are combined with peer evaluations, supervisor evaluations, and results of student’s test scores to create an overall picture of teaching performance. Course evaluations are implemented in one of two ways, either summative or formative.

Course Evaluation Instrument

Course evaluation instruments generally include the following variables such as communication skills, organizational skills, enthusiasm, flexibility, attitude toward the student, teacher – student interaction, encouragement of the student, knowledge of the subject, clarity of presentation, course difficulty, fairness of grading and exams, and global student rating (Kim, Damewood, & Hodge, 2000; Tang, 1997).

Summative Evaluation

Summative Evaluation occurs at the end of a semester, usually a week or two before the last day of class. The evaluation is performed by the current students of the class. Students have the option to reflect on the teachers’ instruction without fear of punishment because course evaluations are completely confidential and anonymous. This can be done in one of two ways; either with a paper form or with online technology. Typically, in a paper based format, the paper form is distributed by a student while the teacher is out of the room. It is then sealed in an envelope and the teacher will not see it until after final grades are submitted. The online version can be identical to a paper version or more detailed, using branching question technology to glean more information from the student. Both ways allow the student to be able to provide useful and honest feedback. This feedback is to be used by teachers to improve the quality of their instruction. The information can also be used to evaluate the overall effectiveness of a teacher, particularly for tenure and promotion decisions (Mohanty, Gretes, Flowers, Algozzine, & Spooner, 2005).

Formative Evaluation

Formative Evaluation typically occurs when changes can take place during the current semester, although many institutions consider written comments on how to improve formative as well. Typically this form of evaluation is performed by peer consultation. Other experienced teachers will review one of their peer’s instructions. The purpose of this evaluation is for the teacher to receive constructive criticism on teaching. Generally, peer teachers will sit in on a few lessons given by the teacher and take notes on their methods. Later on the team of peer teachers will meet with the said teacher and provide useful, non-threatening feedback on their lessons. The peer team will offer suggestions on improvement, which the said teacher can choose to implement.

Peer feedback is given to the instructor typically in the form of an open session meeting. The peers first reflect on the qualities that were good in the instruction. Then they move on to areas that need improvement. Next the instructor will make suggestions for improvement and receive feedback on those ideas.

Students can also participate in formative evaluation. Student evaluations are formative when their purpose is to help faculty members improve and enhance their teaching skills (Mohanty, Gretes, Flowers, Algozzine, & Spooner, 2005). The teachers may require their students to complete written evaluation, participate in ongoing dialogue or directed discussions during the course of the semester.

Benefits for students

Some forms of course evaluation make the individual responses from students or a summary of students' responses about a particular instructor or course available to students as well as instructors. Some student-organized course evaluation services allow only other students to read their peers' comments and do not even make the responses available to instructors. Students can benefit from the ability to review others' evaluations of courses because it can provide them with a better sense of what a particular instructor or class is like. In schools where students have many course options and are free to choose many electives or even design their entire educational program, this sort of information is extremely valuable in making educated decisions about which courses to take.

See also

• Assessment
• Educational evaluation

References

• Dunegan, K. J. & Hrivnak, M. W. (2003). Characteristics of mindless teaching evaluations and the moderating effects of image compatibility. Journal of Management Education, 27(3), 280–303.
• Kim, C., Damewood, E., & Hodge, N. (2000). Professor attitude: Its effect on teaching evaluations. Journal of Management Education, 24(4), 458-473.
• Mohanty, G., Gretes, J., Flowers, C., Algozzine, B., & Spooner, F. (2005). Multi-method evaluation of instruction in engineering classes. Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, 18(2), 139–151.
• Rahman, K. (2006). Learning from your business lectures: Using stepwise regression to understand course evaluation data. Journal of American Academy of Business, 19(2), 272-279.
• Tang, T. L. (1997). Teaching evaluation at a public institution of higher education: Factors related to the overall teaching effectiveness. Public Personnel Management, 26(3), 379-391.

Course evaluation services

• Critical Review (Brown)
• RateMyProfessors.com

External Link

• Pick-a-Prof
• CollegeSlate