April 8, 2004Washington University Teaching Center Self-Evaluation as an Instructor; Course Redesign Regina Frey, Director Washington University Teaching Center Eads Hall 105 Phone: Fax:

April 8, 2004Washington University Teaching Center Outline l Self-evaluation Why evaluate? Evaluation topics Self-critiquing questions l Redesigning a course Student feedback Steps in redesigning

April 8, 2004Washington University Teaching Center Why Evaluate? l Improve teaching l Help to redesign class l Test out new teaching strategies l Increase student learning l Improve class evaluations

April 8, 2004Washington University Teaching Center Main Topics for Evaluation l Organization Overall organization of the session l Clarity How well the instructor explains the concepts Does the instructor use examples well Does the instructor handle questions well l Content Does the instructor relate concepts together and to practical applications Does the instructor give a balanced view of the concepts and ideas l Teaching Strategies How well the instructor uses different teaching strategies l Interaction How well the instructor relates to the students How well the instructor encourages interaction

April 8, 2004Washington University Teaching Center Main Topics for Evaluation l Use of Media How the instructor presents the material l Room Physical Condition What is the condition of the classroom and how does the instructor handle these conditions l Presentation Enthusiasm Pacing Verbal and nonverbal Rapport l Questioning Skills How well does the instructor handle asking questions and receiving students’ questions l Closure How well does the instructor end the class

April 8, 2004Washington University Teaching Center Self-critiquing Each Session l Questions to ask yourself after each session Was the teaching strategy used the most effective one for the topic being discussed? What other strategies may have been more effective? How well were the concepts related to students’ knowledge, experiences, and interests? How could this have been done better? How flexible was I in moderating the session according to student response? How well was the classroom managed? Were the students engaged? Why or why not? Was the class topic interesting? Was active learning used? Could it have been? Did the session help accomplish one of the course goals? l Make comments in your lecture notes about good and bad points after each lecture

April 8, 2004Washington University Teaching Center Refining the Course Design Course Goals Instructional delivery methods and activities Assessment of student learning Course evaluation and review of course goals

April 8, 2004Washington University Teaching Center Student Feedback l Collect the following information for revision of course Exams or quizzes Monitor assignment completion Analyze students’ papers or journals Observe students’ faces and body language Monitor participation and attendance Examine course evaluations – comments and statistics Talk with students directly – throughout the course Give own survey asking questions about the specifics of the course – at end of course

April 8, 2004Washington University Teaching Center Steps in Redesigning l Analyze the student feedback How does your teaching affect student learning and attitude? In which areas should you consider making changes? What should you continue to use or to do? What specific changes should you make? Possible topics to address : Syllabus, schedule, readings and materials, activities, assignments/tests, teaching strategies, teaching style, course policies l Make changes according to the feedback l Typically, do not make major changes Make changes in steps Do not throw away new idea completely after the first time – there is an institutional memory l Discuss with others in the field or with teaching experts l Observe another instructor whom you admire as a teacher