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Feedback and the Evaluation of Your Teaching All instructors who are teaching 105, 115 or 116 for the first time will receive feedback on their teaching from both students and course staff. Following is a list of the processes that will be used. Observing your class Course staff will be visiting all new instructors' classes within the first month of the course and they will give you feedback on what they observe. Although you may feel nervous about being observed, the tension usually disappears when the class gets underway. It helps to remember that the observer is there to help you gather data and information to improve your teaching . You will be contacted before such a visit. In previous terms the instructors have found the experience to be positive. Getting Informal Feedback from Students You can usually find out how your students are reacting to your teaching by asking them. For example, you might ask them whether you are doing enough examples or whether the homework assignments are too easy or too hard. The Math Department will give you an informal questionnaire to have students fill out early in the term, and the responses will give you guidelines about necessary adjustments. Early student feedback If you are teaching an introductory course for the first time, there will be an early student feedback session following the first exam. The procedure is that a course staff person will observe your class for the first hour of class. During the last 25 minutes of the class you will leave and she/he will facilitate a small group feedback session with your students. One or two days later the two of you will discuss the results and develop possible responses. Additional observation toward the end of the semester For some instructors who may be working on basic teaching skills, a third observation will be done toward the end of the term. End-of-Course Student Ratings At the end of each term the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) sends all instructors a set of evaluation questionnaires for each class. The questions on these forms have been chosen by the Department (see sample form in the appendix). The packet comes with detailed instructions. Read the instructions very carefully. Generally, you will leave about 15 minutes for students to fill out the forms at the end of a class period during the last week of class. Instructors will not see individual ratings or the results of these ratings until after the grades are turned in. The actual forms and a statistical summary will be returned to you some time in the subsequent term. A copy of the summary goes to the Department. Plan to keep your evaluations both as a record of your progress and to assist future writers of teaching references. Since there is evidence that student ratings are more effective in helping instructors improve their teaching if the instructor discusses them with another person, it is a good idea for you to go over them with a colleague, a consultant from CRLT, the course coordinator or one of the other course staff. |