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student opinion survey summary
overview | teaching | service | career plan
this page
best and worst | discussion | student self-assessments
The survey results from the ten sections I taught last year are given some order here by counting and then rank ordering those that got the three (including ties) highest and lowest scores.
For example, in 2006, #5 was among the best scores on all ten surveys and among the worst on none.
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2006 |
2006 |
2007 |
2007 |
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5. Instructor generally provided for a full class period |
10 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
|
19. The instructor was enthusiastic |
8 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
|
10. The instructor was willing to meet for consultation outside the class period |
6 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
|
15. The instructor appeared to be knowledgeable in the field |
4 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
|
13. The instructor was responsive to student questions |
3 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
|
8. The instructor stimulated student thoughts on the subject |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
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16. I would recommend this instructor to another student |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
7. The instructor incorporated relevant current material into the course. |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
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11. The instructor effectively communicated subject matter to students |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
|
12. The instructor encouraged student participation |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
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18. I learned a great deal in this course |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
1. The course disclosure gave a clear indication of course content and requirements |
1 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
|
2. The course objectives were met |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
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3. Examinations and assignments were useful learning tools |
0 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
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14. The instructor's presentations were well organized |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
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17. I would recommend this course to another student |
0 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
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9. The instructor's teaching methods were effective |
0 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
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6. I found it helpful to attend class regularly |
0 |
6 |
0 |
2 |
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4. The course was well organized |
1 |
8 |
0 |
2 |
The discussion of pedagogy in my portfolio
explains
the four
methods I use in addition to official student opinion
surveys. These four methods are supplemented throughout the course by
private email between students and me. I give students a lot of
feedback and try to engage each of them in an ongoing discussion of
their learning. I encourage them to talk to each other about their
learning. I emphasize formative feedback and Socratic questioning.
The multiple methods of feedback serve two purposes. First, they make
the students more aware of their own and each other's learning process
and learning style, learning how they learn. Second, I can infer things
that I can do to improve the courses.
The pattern seen this year in my student opinion surveys has persisted.
I most frequently score lowest on "4. The course was well-organized,"
although for MKT 425, this item got the second best score. From my
other methods of evaluation, I think I understand why it so often
scores low.
I don't use
textbooks. Some students expect everything about a course to be between
the covers of a textbook, perhaps supplemented by lecture notes. My
course materials are on the course web and linked to it. I can take
advantage of unexpected events in the real world.
I emphasize
divergent learning, not convergent learning, so some students have
trouble seeing the relevance of other students' learning to their own.
The constant
feedback lets me make in-course adjustments. I keep the same major
assignments and grading criteria, but I often adapt the day-to-day
activities to fit the students in that particular section. Every
course's syllabus page changes several times per week as the course
develops.
Thus, where some students see weak organization, I see flexibility and
opportunity. I'm quite content that this item is the one I score lowest
on, remembering that the average for all ten courses was well under 2.0.
On the other end of the scale, I'm equally sanguine about the item I
score best on: "5. The instructor generally provided for a full class
period." Almost all my students strongly agree, and have done so for
many years. I am almost always in the classroom before any students
arrive, and excepting technical difficulties with the computers and
projector, we always start at the appointed hour. There is always more
to talk about than the time allotted. Teaching at night, I often hear,
"You don't give us enough time between classes to get dinner," and
"We're always the last cars in the parking lot; that's not fair."
Item "10. The instructor was willing to meet for consultation outside
the class period" gets the next best (lowest) scores. That contributes
to the relatively poor scores for "6. I found it helpful to attend
class regularly". Students can too easily catch up in my office or via
email when they miss class. I give a lot of mini-lessons to students
who missed. The availability of course materials online contributes
there, too.
In sum, students rate me most highly for the amount of time I spend
with them, in class and out. They also get a lot of personal attention
via email, which our official surveys don't ask for specifically.
Of all the methods of course assessment, I
learn the most from the end of course self-assessments. Over the years,
as a result of them, I have kept the courses focused on learning by
doing rather than on lectures and tests. The end-of-course assessments
of MBA 600 and MBA 604 justified the creation of MBA 504 back in 2000.
They shaped the development of MBA 600, for another example, by
identifying the need for more attention to business plans as well as
the industry to focus on. The latter changed several times until I
found an industry -- pop culture marketing, especially music -- that
worked best.
The other gratifying use of the self-assessments is the affirmation
that I'm affecting students' lives. When I stop hearing this, I'll
worry. Here's a selection from the last year.
G.
modified: November 2008
by Douglas Anderson
http://toLearn.net/portfolio/selfeval/2007/surveydisc.htm