Assessing Teachers Through Student Evaluations
Just as students are assessed through various ways throughout their school career so are teachers. There are numerous ways in which our teachers can be assessed, some considered effective and others not. One way we can see how teachers are doing is through evaluations by students. This can be a good way to get a look at how teachers are doing through the eyes of those that spend the most time with them, their students.
Just as with most things there are drawbacks and differing views on this idea. Although there aren't too many cons, one could be the thought that students will fill out these surveys or assessments only based on their personal judgements of the teacher or professor. If they do not like a teacher it could be possible for the student to give a poor assessment based on that feeling. Luckily, this is a fairly simple problem to solve. One way to get rid of this problem is to have comment boxes either for each of the questions or at the end of the survey. This provides space for students to write exactly why they feel the way they do and help teachers use this information to improve. It also helps to use questions that are not necessarily directed toward the specific teacher but rather the learning environment in general. An example would be asking how well material on tests was covered in class and using a scale of 1-10 (see example of survey below).
Teachers being assessed by students can be very effective for numerous ways. The surveys asks various questions that deal with ideas from teaching techniques to how efficient the learning environment is to whether or not the teacher is readily available to reach out to students. There can also be questions that deal with the actual content the students are learning and how well it is being taught. The fact that these surveys are taken anonymously by students helps to assure them that they can answer honestly. I know from experience whenever I have assessed my teachers they leave the room, have a student deliver the completed assessments, and only hear about the results from a third party. According to a study, students were given a survey for their teachers that was used to look at results as a way to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of these assessments. The results showed that the majority of students answered the questions very similar, which exemplifies the reliability of these assessments. In addition, An online survey that consisted of 1,883 students across 10 different European countries found that there was a 35% gap between what the students expected from their instructors versus what they got out of the experience. Although these results may not be good for the teachers it does show that these types of assessments help to provide specific information on where teachers need to improve their performance. Ben Johnson, in his article stated that, "The bottom line is that the customer is always right, and it is all about perception, and perceptions are reality, right?" Upon looking at his evaluations he found some harsh things written and at first felt betrayed by this. However, upon further thinking he realized that even though what the students had said was not what he wanted to hear it was a perfect way for him to pinpoint the problem and work to improve and fix it. Despite the few cons that may come with this type of teacher assessment it can be helpful. This method does not provide the exact same information that is given from standardized testing and may only be used in addition to other methods but it can be useful especially for the teacher. It lets the teacher now what they are doing right, what they are doing wrong, and where there is need for improvement according to a source that is able to best able to evaluate these aspects, their own students.
Just as with most things there are drawbacks and differing views on this idea. Although there aren't too many cons, one could be the thought that students will fill out these surveys or assessments only based on their personal judgements of the teacher or professor. If they do not like a teacher it could be possible for the student to give a poor assessment based on that feeling. Luckily, this is a fairly simple problem to solve. One way to get rid of this problem is to have comment boxes either for each of the questions or at the end of the survey. This provides space for students to write exactly why they feel the way they do and help teachers use this information to improve. It also helps to use questions that are not necessarily directed toward the specific teacher but rather the learning environment in general. An example would be asking how well material on tests was covered in class and using a scale of 1-10 (see example of survey below).
Teachers being assessed by students can be very effective for numerous ways. The surveys asks various questions that deal with ideas from teaching techniques to how efficient the learning environment is to whether or not the teacher is readily available to reach out to students. There can also be questions that deal with the actual content the students are learning and how well it is being taught. The fact that these surveys are taken anonymously by students helps to assure them that they can answer honestly. I know from experience whenever I have assessed my teachers they leave the room, have a student deliver the completed assessments, and only hear about the results from a third party. According to a study, students were given a survey for their teachers that was used to look at results as a way to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of these assessments. The results showed that the majority of students answered the questions very similar, which exemplifies the reliability of these assessments. In addition, An online survey that consisted of 1,883 students across 10 different European countries found that there was a 35% gap between what the students expected from their instructors versus what they got out of the experience. Although these results may not be good for the teachers it does show that these types of assessments help to provide specific information on where teachers need to improve their performance. Ben Johnson, in his article stated that, "The bottom line is that the customer is always right, and it is all about perception, and perceptions are reality, right?" Upon looking at his evaluations he found some harsh things written and at first felt betrayed by this. However, upon further thinking he realized that even though what the students had said was not what he wanted to hear it was a perfect way for him to pinpoint the problem and work to improve and fix it. Despite the few cons that may come with this type of teacher assessment it can be helpful. This method does not provide the exact same information that is given from standardized testing and may only be used in addition to other methods but it can be useful especially for the teacher. It lets the teacher now what they are doing right, what they are doing wrong, and where there is need for improvement according to a source that is able to best able to evaluate these aspects, their own students.
Student Evaluation of Teacher Effectiveness
The following is an assessment that will be used to help evaluate my overall teaching performance. Your honest opinion is appreciated and your comments will not influence your grade. The responses are anonymous. (Don’t write your name on this!) J
Please use the following scale as you answer each question:
1 ---------------- 2 ----------------- 3 ------------------ 4 ---------------- 5
Poor Rarely Sometimes Usually Always
1. The teacher let students know what was expected of them.
_______2. The teacher was well prepared for each class.
_3. The teacher was accepting and supporting of students.
______ 4. The teacher covered the material at an appropriate pace.
5. The teacher showed patience when dealing with students.
______ 6. The teacher helped make the material interesting by relating it to things I know.
7. The teacher used visuals such as whiteboard, maps, handouts, and presentation stations.
______ 8. The teacher handled student discipline fairly.
______ 9. The teacher recognized which students did not understand the material and reviewed as needed.
_10. The teacher appeared to be genuinely concerned about students and their success in class.
_11. The teacher gave clear directions.
______ 12. The teacher knew the subject matter well.
______ 13. The teacher presented a professional appearance and behavior.
Tell me about the lesson where you learned the most and why you think so.
Tell me any areas that you believe I need to work on and why.
Any other comments?
The following is an assessment that will be used to help evaluate my overall teaching performance. Your honest opinion is appreciated and your comments will not influence your grade. The responses are anonymous. (Don’t write your name on this!) J
Please use the following scale as you answer each question:
1 ---------------- 2 ----------------- 3 ------------------ 4 ---------------- 5
Poor Rarely Sometimes Usually Always
1. The teacher let students know what was expected of them.
_______2. The teacher was well prepared for each class.
_3. The teacher was accepting and supporting of students.
______ 4. The teacher covered the material at an appropriate pace.
5. The teacher showed patience when dealing with students.
______ 6. The teacher helped make the material interesting by relating it to things I know.
7. The teacher used visuals such as whiteboard, maps, handouts, and presentation stations.
______ 8. The teacher handled student discipline fairly.
______ 9. The teacher recognized which students did not understand the material and reviewed as needed.
_10. The teacher appeared to be genuinely concerned about students and their success in class.
_11. The teacher gave clear directions.
______ 12. The teacher knew the subject matter well.
______ 13. The teacher presented a professional appearance and behavior.
Tell me about the lesson where you learned the most and why you think so.
Tell me any areas that you believe I need to work on and why.
Any other comments?