I've had wonderfully useful
papers come in, and I think it affects the level of responsibility many
students bring to the learning process.
*
* *
* *
* *
* *
* *
* *
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.
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Teaching Sociology" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected]
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/teachsoc
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
