Tipsters:
At 11:15 AM 1/24/01 -0600, Mike Scoles wrote:
>Gary Klatsky wrote:
>
> > I attended a presentation by Dan Bernstein on Course Portfolios at the
> NITOP
> > conference earlier this month. That is a much better way of presenting
> > one's teaching experience than a student evaluation.
>
>Are there data available to show that portfolios are "better"? Or, do
>they just
>provide information of a different type? Is it possible that someone who
>receives great student and peer evaluations might do a lousy job of putting
>together a portfolio? Similarly, could someone with a lousy classroom
>presence
>put together a pretty good portfolio?
>
>*****************************************************************
>* Mike Scoles * [EMAIL PROTECTED] *
>* Department of Psychology * voice: (501) 450-5418 *
>* University of Central Arkansas * fax: (501) 450-5424 *
>* Conway, AR 72035-0001 * *
>********* http://www.coe.uca.edu/psych/scoles/index.html ********
I also attended this presentation by Dan Bernstein. There are some caveats
to the use of portfolios that he acknowledged. For one, developing these is
a very time-consuming process, and I believe the professors he worked with
had mostly received fellowships or release time to develop their
portfolios. I doubt that many small institutions such as the one where I
teach could afford to support portfolio development by many of its
professors... I was also somewhat overwhelmed by the evidence he suggested
professors should provide on reasons for both including and excluding
course material, which he thought they should get feedback on from
established professors in their disciplines. Thus the time and effort
expenditures. Essentially, you are having your course content "vetted" by
other professionals.
Maybe I missed it (I was sleep deprived for some of that conference), but I
also don't recall any evidence Dan presented that linked the use of these
course portfolios to improved student outcomes.
There are probably "kindler, gentler" approaches to portfolio development
that are not as in-depth and complex as the one Dan discussed. I assume
there are many ways to skin this particular cat, and unfortunately I don't
know that we have a method of teacher evaluation that says much about
student outcomes. I also don't know more about the topic than I learned
from my attendance at the one session.
Are there any experts on this out there?
Esther
Esther Yoder Strahan, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Heidelberg College
310 E. Market St.
Tiffin, Ohio 44883
U.S.A.
Tel. (419) 448-2238
Fax (419) 448-2236
