Using the Seven Principles as a Framework for the Evaluation of Student Ratings and Teaching Karl Wirth and Adrienne Christiansen Serie Center for Scholarship and Teaching Macalester College IDEA Users Group Meeting Washington, DC

Outline Institutional Context Development Process Framework for Evaluation of Teaching Preliminary Results

Macalester College Private residential liberal arts college Urban setting 35 departments and programs 1850 students 170 faculty

Faculty Work and Evaluation Teaching, Scholarship, and Service Annual Addenda Third-Year Review, Tenure, and Promotion Scholarship evaluated by external reviewers

Evaluation of Teaching Faculty not required to evaluate courses Student ratings not required for review, tenure or promotion Letters and questionnaire responses solicited from students by personnel committee and candidate Other evidence as provided by candidate

Task Force on Improving Teaching Convened to address concerns about quality of data available to: help faculty improve their courses track institutional progress toward key educational goals provide reliable evidence for personnel review

Process for Change Review of best practices Examination of existing ratings instruments; consideration of “homegrown” instrument Recognition that student ratings are but one lens through which to view teaching Conversations about excellence in teaching and purpose of student ratings

Encourages contact between students and faculty Develops cooperation among students Encourages active learning Gives prompt feedback Emphasizes time on task Communicates high expectations Respects diverse talents and ways of learning Chickering and Gamson (1987) Defining Teaching Excellence

Building A Culture of Improvement Task force pilot of IDEA in Spring 2007 Campus-wide pilot in Fall 2007 Currently, approximately 45% of faculty voluntarily use the IDEA form each semester; formative purposes only Implementation of Mid-Course Interviews Peer Observation workshops for chairs

Framework – Areas of Teaching Subject Matter Mastery Curriculum Development Course Design Delivery of Instruction Assessment of Instruction Availability to Students Administrative Requirements Cashin (1989)

Framework – Five Skill Dimensions Content Expertise Instructional Design Instructional Delivery Course Management Instructional Assessment Instructor skills are “inputs” Arreola (2007)

Framework – Student Learning “Theoretically, the best criterion of effective teaching is student learning” Cashin (1995) Relationship to student ratings is complex Teacher-centered versus learner-centered Faculty not easily convinced of meaning of self- reported learning gains Concerns about objectives in some disciplines

Framework - Teaching Excellence Seven Principles (Chickering & Gamson) Encourages contact between students and faculty Develops cooperation among students Encourages active learning Gives prompt feedback Emphasizes time on task Communicates high expectations Respects diverse talents and ways of learning e.g., Prince (2004); Cruce et al. (2006) Familiar to faculty Widely used (e.g., NSSE, CSEQ) Designed into IDEA (Hoyt et al., 1998) Formative and summative purposes

Framework – Sources of Evidence Self Files Students Peers Colleagues Chair/Dean Instructional Consultant Others Cashin (1989)

Sources and Criteria

Seven Principles–IDEA Matrix

Results Junior Faculty Comfortable with framework Welcome formative feedback Voluntarily included with review file Department Chairs Welcome guidelines for review process and mentoring Faculty Personnel Committee Encouraged by evidence-based approach to evaluating teaching

Thank you….