Dear EAS Students, As you know, the TQFR opens today and we wanted to encourage you to share your feedback and experiences about your courses. We do read these and appreciate your thoughtful suggestions for course improvements and reflections on your learning. Your instructors use these to make informed and thoughtful changes to their course content, structure, technology and pedagogical approaches.
As a division, we would also like to share some best practices for completing the TQFRs: 1. Reflect on your overall learning experiences within the class. 2. Be aware of your unconscious and unintentional biases (that we all have!). Educational research (for examples, see here<https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ps-political-science-and-politics/article/exploring-bias-in-student-evaluations-gender-race-and-ethnicity/91670F6003965C5646680D314CF02FA4> and here<https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/02/17/whats-really-going-respect-bias-and-teaching-evals>) has shown that instructors who are women and/or from historically marginalized groups can be systematically rated lower than white men instructors when there is no actual difference in instruction or learning. 3. While it might be tempting to rush through or multi-task while you complete your TQFR, try to find a time when you can dedicate your full attention to completing the evaluations. 4. Please keep the above in mind as you focus your feedback and comments on course content, class climate and pedagogy. Your feedback is appreciated and makes a difference. Thank you very much for your time in completing the TQFRs. With best regards, Ravi and Beverley ... Beverley J. McKeon Deputy Chair, Division of Engineering and Applied Science Theodore von Karman Professor of Aeronautics Lead Editor, Physical Review Fluids Chair, US National Committee on Theoretical & Applied Mechanics Graduate Aerospace Laboratories California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA (626) 395-4460 She/Her/Hers [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> http://mckeon.caltech.edu<http://mckeon.caltech.edu/> ...
