EVALUATION OF THE TEACHING PROCESS Marta Ljubešić National Council for Higher Education Zagreb - Croatia

Feedback from the student survey conducted at the University of Zagreb

Chronology of the student survey’s implementation at the University of Zagreb  up to 1997 – conducted by teachers on their own initiative  from 15 January, 1997 the University Statute demands that the quality of the teaching process be monitored  in 1997 a uniform questionnaire was applied at most faculties for the first time

 autumn 1998: the implementation of the pilot project – survey done among the 2 nd year students in the academic year 1998/1999, having been statistically analysed within one central institution, the results were processed in Excel and then returned to the faculties for interpretation  in 1999 – the questionnaire evaluation done by the faculties and the University Board for Survey Implementation

Survey results  the pilot project included 28 out of 33 faculties  249 teachers were evaluated in terms of their teaching quality  5206 students answered questions about the quality of lectures and exercises

 students’ participation varied between 10 and 90%  students filled in the questionnaires responsibly and less than 1% of the answers were illegible

Lecture attendance

Lectures clearly

Interesting style of presentation

Encourages (independent) student work

Ready for discussion with students

Treats students with respect

Lectures – Regularity and Punctuality

Available literature for covered material

Would you recommend this lecturer to other students?

Survey evaluation comprised:  analysis of the answers obtained from the faculties  evaluation of the survey’s contents and the “mechanisms” of its implementation  analysis of negative and positive points of the survey implementation

The faculties gave answers to the following questions:  What has been done with the results of the survey conducted in the academic year 1998/99?  What is perceived as the main barrier to the effective implementation of the student survey at your faculty?  How do you check the quality of teaching at your faculty?

 19 faculties answered the above questions  a majority of answers were positive  a single faculty gave direct feedback to the teachers insisting on the introduction of changes  the results could have been used more appropriately

Evaluation of the survey’s contents and the “mechanisms” of its implementation  contents – no objections  in the meantime the conditions for cheaper and more effective implementation of the survey have been established – Carnet, on line

Analysis of negative points:  lack of tradition in this type of evaluation of teachers  inadequate and uneven understanding of the survey’s final aims  doubt that the survey has any effect at all since even better ideas fail in their realisation  fear that the results could be used against the students and the teachers

 negative attitude of teachers towards evaluation (partly based on the fact that “public opinion” was manipulated in the past)  opinion that the survey examines superficial popularity of teachers and not the quality of their teaching  irresponsible and superficial interpretation of results, which makes manipulations possible

 great differences among the faculties: some have been monitoring their achievements meticulously and have been using questionnaires for a longer time and some hold this practice superfluous and believe it “to affect their autonomy”  different unresolved organisational and financial problems of implementation

 teachers doubt that conducting the survey before they are given better working conditions may have any effect at all  low motivation for conducting the survey (among some teachers) since it does not offer any new important insights into the teaching process

Positive points:  positive attitudes towards this type of teaching quality evaluation  survey encouraged thinking about the minimum quality standard of both, the teaching process and the attitude of teachers towards students