Suggestions for Processing Course Evaluations
Found in Teaching & Advising > Grading & Assessment of Students
鈥ick a good time to do so, when you will have enough time to digest at least some of the information, have privacy, and can give yourself some mental 鈥榮pace鈥� to analyze the information.鈥rack quantitative results. Consider how the summary rating received for each item fits with your own teaching goals and your department鈥檚 expectations for teaching.
鈥ook for patterns in students鈥� comments鈥攊dentify trends, note what you have done well and what needs improvement.
鈥ake your experience into account. If you are new to teaching, the school, or even the course, you may still be learning about various aspects of being a professor, such as course design, teaching skills, student interaction, and departmental expectations.
鈥ake the context and characteristics of your course into account. Research shows that student evaluations often are more positive in courses that are smaller rather than larger, and elective rather than required. Also, evaluations are usually more positive in courses in which students tend to do well.
鈥now that almost all faculty members receive negative feedback at some point in their careers, including those who are senior and highly successful.
鈥llow yourself to acknowledge that negative feedback can feel hurtful or make you angry, but also provides a pointer toward important areas for your continued development.
(Adapted from 鈥淪ome Guidelines and Principles to Consider In Making Sense of Evaluation Feedback鈥� by Kathleen Hoover-Dempsey, Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, Vanderbilt University.)
Questions to consider:
鈥hat are the perceived strengths as identified by students?
鈥hat are the perceived challenges as identified by students?
鈥ow are student perceptions similar or different from your own?
鈥hat are possible changes to make to the course?