Developing oneself as a teacher using innovative teaching methods and strategies to establish...

Developing oneself as a teacher using innovative teaching methods and strategies to

establish constructive and positive relations with all students in

guiding them in their development of critical, analytical thinking and

problem solving abilities.

Evaluating and improving teaching

Gordon Suddaby - [email protected]

RationaleWe need to start from a position of

knowing how well we are teaching:Poor evaluation, whether of students or of

staff, renders an unfair judgement and fails to reveal shortcomings in performance. Good evaluation on the other hand provides decision makers with the information necessary for informed choices and teachers with useful feedback for improvement.

Centre, 1993, p.1Gordon Suddaby - [email protected]

Evaluating teachingTwo broad purposes;Evaluation for improvement, i.e. Quality

enhancement leading to development and improvement of learning, teaching etc

Evaluation for accountability i.e Quality assurance regarding performance with respect to promotion, competence, assurance for stakeholders etc


VocabularyFormative: Provides feedback which is

used during the [teaching] process for improvement. It is continuous, diagnostic, remedial, and low stakes.

Summative: ...used after [the teaching] process has been completed. Grading and accountability are major outcomes. It is terminal, finite, descriptive and high stakes.

After Scriven, 1967.Gordon Suddaby - [email protected]

Activity 5In small groups identify the university processes

involving decision-making about you that requires evaluative information about your teaching

What aspects of your teaching provides that information?

What (if any) further information could/should be provided?

How and by whom?

How valid and reliable do you think the information is?


Something to think about...In what may as well be starkly labelled smug satisfaction, an amazing 94% [of college instructors] rate themselves above average teachers and 68% rate themselves in the upper quartile of teaching performers.

K. Patricia Cross


Activity 6: Universities are generally interested in teaching...to ensure quality, effectiveness, and

accountabilityto provide recognition and rewardto bring about improvement.......Activity: In groups, identify the mechanisms by

which these outcomes are achieved at Bilkent.

For each mechanism reflect on how effectively it achieves its purpose


So the question for you as a teacher is...

How do you know you are teaching well?

Or

How well you are teaching?

And

How might you improve?


Activity 7Rule a column down the middle of a

piece of paperOn the left hand side list things that you

believe you have done well when teaching

On the right hand side for each indicator, map the evidence you have that supports the point

What evidence do you use to know things haven’t gone well?


Some thoughts about evaluating teaching...When evaluations are used for promotion and

tenure, the accepted rule is that no single evaluation should be considered adequate for decision making

Theall and Franklin, p.94, 1991Use multiple sources of data if you are serious

about improving teachingCashin, p.93, 1992It is wise to be circumspect about using student

ratings to make judgments on teaching quality and to recognise their complications as well as their virtues.

Ramsden, p.229, 1992Gordon Suddaby - [email protected]

But there are optionsWe can change the focus from“what is the quality of your teaching” To“how can we use evidence gathered from

student feedback and other forms of information to improve teaching?”

Berk (2005) has listed 12 ways as a starter to which I will add two more; Small Group Instructional Diagnosis and Classroom Assessment Techniques.


12 sources of evidence(Berk, 2005)1. Student ratings2. Peer ratings3. Self-evaluation4. Videos5. Student interviews6. Exit and Alumni ratings7. Employer ratings8. Administrator ratings9. Teaching scholarship10. Teaching awards11. Learning outcome measures12. Teaching portfolios


Peer ratingsPeer ratings of teaching performance and

materials is the most complementary source of evidence to student ratings. It covers those aspects of teaching that students are not in a position to evaluate. Student and peer ratings, viewed together, furnish a very comprehensive picture of teaching effectiveness for teaching improvement. Peer ratings should not be used for personnel decisions.


Self EvaluationSelf-evaluation is an important source of

evidence to consider in formative and summative decisions. Faculty input on their own teaching completes the triangulation of the three direct observation sources of teaching performance: students, peers, and self.


VideosIf faculty are really committed to improving

their teaching, a video is one of the best sources of evidence for formative decisions, interpreted either alone or, preferably, with peer input. If the video is used in confidence for this purpose, faculty should decide whether it should be included in their self evaluation or portfolio as a “work sample” for summative decisions.


Student ratingsStudent ratings is a necessary source of

evidence of teaching effectiveness for both formative and summative decisions, but not a sufficient source for the latter. Considering all of the polemics over its value, it is still an essential component of any faculty evaluation system.


Student interviewsThe quality control circle is an excellent

technique to provide constant student feedback for teaching improvement. The group interview as an independent evaluation can be very informative to supplement student ratings. Exit interviews may be impractical to conduct or redundant with exit ratings, described in the next section.


Exit and Alumni interviewsAlthough exit and alumni ratings are similar

to original student ratings on the same scale, different scale items about the quality of teaching, courses, curriculum admissions, and other topics can provide new information. Alumni ratings should be considered as another important source of evidence on teaching effectiveness.


Employer ratingsEmployer ratings provides an indirect

source of evidence for program evaluation decisions about teaching effectiveness and attainment of program outcomes, especially for professional schools. Job performance data may be linked to individual teaching performance, but on a very limited basis.


Administrator ratingsAdministrator ratings is typically based on

secondary sources, not direct observation of teaching or any other areas of performance. This source furnishes a perspective different from all other sources on merit pay and promotion decisions.


Teaching scholarshipTeaching scholarship is an important

source of evidence to supplement the three major direct observation sources. It can easily discriminate the “teacher scholar” and very creative faculty from all others for summative decisions.


Teaching AwardsAs a source of evidence of teaching

effectiveness, at best, teaching awards provide worthwhile information only on the nominees, and, at worst, they supply inaccurate and unreliable feedback on questionable nominees who may have appeared on ‘Law and Order’. The merits of teaching awards should be evaluated in the context of an institution’s network of incentives and rewards for teaching.


Learning outcome measuresLearning outcome measures should be

employed with extreme caution as a source of evidence for faculty evaluation. It’s safer to use in conjunction with the direct data sources described previously for program improvement.


Teaching portfolioAs a collection of many of the previous

sources and them some, the teaching portfolio should be reserved primarily for summative decisions to present a comprehensive picture of teaching effectiveness to complement the list of research publications.


Small Group Instructional DiagnosisDeveloped by Clark in 1979 Small Group

Instructional Diagnosis (SGID) is a form of classroom research which focuses on student learning. It is a formative process enhancing learning and is a safe, non-threatening and transparent mechanism liked by students and staff. It is orally-based, involving concensus and involves little time with a quick turn-around.


Classroom Assessment Activities (including fast feedback tools)Classroom assessment techniques drawn

from Angelo and Cross (1996). These tools are Learner Centred, Teacher directed, Mutually beneficial, Formative, Context-specific and Ongoing.


CAT examplesThe Minute PaperThe Muddiest PointDirected paraphrasingApplication cards


The proof of the pudding...If we are teaching well, the obvious

outcome would be in student learning.One of the major challenges we face is that

of effectively ‘measuring’ student learning. i.e. We are talking about effective assessment!


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