TEACHSOC: Re: Mid-Course evalautions

[Maria Martinez Cosio]

Keith: I've had the experiences you described below. I do a much less sophisticated mid-term evaluation but it works well for my graduate students. I give students a 5X7 index card halfway through the semester. On one side they must write what they like about the course--what is going well, what would they like to see included (often I get comments about how much they enjoy the discussions we have in class); on the other side of the index card they are to write specific elements that they dislike about our course. The caveat is that they have to include comments for elements that we as a class can change. I often get very insightful ideas.

The evaluations are anonymous and they drop them off as they leave class in a box I place by the door (a chair works too). I report at the next class on some of the suggestions made for changes to the course and we discuss them. This "down and dirty" process gets result and students often stated in their final evaluations that they felt the instructor was accessible and interested in their views about the class.
best,
maria

On Wednesday, February 15, 2006, at 11:51 AM, Roberts, Keith wrote:

 

I've had wonderfully useful papers come in, and I think it affects the level of responsibility many students bring to the learning process. 

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This is a good point. Midterm evaluations are interesting in terms of how they seem to affect a course. It would be wonderful to have some hard evidence on this, and my “data” are anecdotal, but here are some of my “soft findings” on doing mid-term evaluations:

 

-If you ask for their advice and then fail to make any adjustments, you really have unhappy campers! You must be prepared to change the modus operandi of the course.

-If you ask for advice at midterm, it sometimes changes the tone of the class, with students perceiving the instructor to be more accessible.

-If students are really not pleased for some reason and they “vent” on the midterm evaluation, then they seem less likely to vent at the time of the final evaluation. The final evaluations are actually more positive. Has anyone else had this experience?

 

Like Kathleen, I have used formal Likert-type instruments before (I will attach one sample), but I do think narrative-style feedback is usually more useful. Note that it is a good idea to ask them about what they have been doing to help make the class go well. Midterm evaluations are a time when students can be urged to realize that the instructor only controls a small number of the variables that influence the classroom experience, and the students control some others.  As Susan points out, midterms can actively invite students to be participants in shaping the course, including getting them to reflect on their roles.

 

I have also borrowed a procedure from a colleague on occasion. It is called “three stars and a concern.” On a half sheet of paper you have three little stars and “smiley-face” (but it has a grimace rather than a smile). The students are given five or six minutes to write three things they like (which gets them thinking positively and also offers you some positive feedback) and one concern, question, complaint, etc. This does not take much time but can provide feedback on how things are going.

 

 

 

Maria Martinez-Cosio, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Urban and Public Affairs
University of Texas, Arlington
Box 15988
Arlington, Texas 76019-0588
817-272-3302
[EMAIL PROTECTED]