Unlocking the Impact of Tertiary Teachers Perceptions of Student Appraisals of Teaching

Dorothy SpillerTeaching Development UnitUniversity of Waikato, Aotearoa/ New Zealand

Student Evaluations of teaching: Do they matter?1MihiE nga mana , e nga reoTo those gathered here from diverse backgrounds

E rau rangatira ma To my esteemed audience

Tenei te mihi ki a koutouI greet youMihiKa nui te hari me te koaIm so happy

Ki te hoki mai ki tenei whenuaIm so happy to return to this land

Ki taku ukaipo, ki taku whenua tapuThe land that provided me with nurturing and sustenance, the land of my birth

MihiKa nui hoki te mihi ki nga iwi o tenei whenuaI also wish to express my thanks to the people of this landKi aku matua me aku tamarikiTo my parents and my childrenMo nga taonga kua takoha mai ki ahauFor the gifts that have been given to meNo reira, tena koutou, tena tatou katoaGreetings once again to all of you/us who are gathered here

4Do student evaluations matter?For who?To who?For what?Why?When?How?The QuestWhat do teachers think about them?

Why do they have these views?

How do teachers engage with them?

How can we enhance student evaluation processes to optimise their potential to improve teaching and learning?The StoryThe Beginnings The QuestThe EquipmentThe LandscapeRe-designing the LandscapeThe Holy Grail

Do the role play, shed the light on typical encounters when staff talk about appraisal7The Story Once upon a time...How did it all begin?Do the role play, shed the light on typical encounters when staff talk about appraisal

Our work, institutions uses etc is it useful, is it doing what we want?8The Story - Myth or Reality?The institution uses this to judge mePeople manipulate appraisalsStudents are not in a position to make judgementsThe instrument is invalidI know my discipline and what they need to knowAre the questions relevant?I can't try anything new because of the risk to my promotionIt is a popularity contest

These are the typical narratives that we encounter, and which we found reported by academics in the literature.

We need to find out is this what academics really think, and what impact these perceptions have on the process, and teaching and learning behaviours

9

The Story The QuestWhat do teachers really think?

How does it make a difference to them, their teaching and their learners?We need to find out is this what academics really think, and what impact these perceptions have on the process, and teaching and learning behaviours10The Story The QuestHow do current evaluation processes and practices influence teachers thinking and behaviours in relation to student learning at all stages of the teaching and learning cycle?

What are the perceptions that tertiary teachers hold about student evaluations?

What factors affect these views?

How do tertiary teachers engage with student evaluations?

The Story - The EquipmentAko Aotearoa funded NPF researchTwo year projectThree institutions Otago University, Otago Polytech and the University of WaikatoResearchers were Academic Developers and Evaluations personnel from these institutions

12The Story - Count and find out...Survey online, run over three weeks with weekly remindersParticipants goal to reach as broad a sample of the academic community for trends rather than in depth analysis

InstitutionTotal Staff Number of responsesResponse rateUniversity of Otago (OU)144367046%University of Waikato (WU)66324237%Otago Polytechnic (OP)32015348%Total2426106544%13The Story - Ask and ye shall find...Interviews Semi-structured. Questions developed on the basis of themes that emerged from questionnaire dataParticipants Called for volunteers selected based on demographics to get a range of disciplines and years experienceLiterature review - to sharpen interview questionsEnvironmental scan of institutions, around appraisal practice, mission statements, teaching policiesThe Story - Sense makingSurvey Quantitative analysis of summative questions and thematic analysis of associated comments (interpretivist paradigm)

Interviews Thematic analysisDiscoveriesWhat are teachers perceptions of student evaluations?

Why do they hold these views?views?Discoveries: Appraisals LandscapeWidespread recognition of the worth of collecting this data : 73%Main uses and limitations of appraisal:

UseResponsesInforms teacher/course development 19%Helps identify students learning needs 19%LimitationsShortcomings in the current appraisal system 14%Quality of responses by students 10%Use for quality/summative processes 7%17The Story - Teachers NarrativesAppraisals are okay, but but but (mistrust of students judgement, of the instrument and the institution)Read what students sayAppraisals can help me with my courses I feel strongly about thisThe timing is hopelessThe process ends hereI work aloneWe dont talk about them

The Story: Teachers NarrativesBeliefs about teaching and learningTeacher manipulationStatus of teaching Research focusNeed for multiple sources ofevaluation

The story Emotional TerrainOU 10 indicated some form of emotional reaction positive and negative. Language suggests emotional intensityWU 4 general emotional significance and 3 directly negativeOP 6 openly discussed feelings of vulnerability.

Excited; cleansed; pissed off; crushed; feeling vulnerable; focus on negative; terrified; disappointedDiscussion: join the quest!What perceptions of evaluations have you encountered?

What are the reasons given for these perceptions?

The Story Appraisals landscapeHow do the respondents engage with appraisal data?For WU (92%) and OU (95%) - ranked first to get feedback on students learning experiencesOP: Because it is requiredInterpreting and responding to the dataFor all institutions the majority of participants rank reading the open question/comments as their first response, and high numbers of participants spend time going over the data, look for feedback on teaching and compare with previous results.However percentages are far lower when looking at active engagement and discussion with colleagues and students. This is most noticeable in the universities as opposed to Otago PolytechSurvey of the landscapeUse

1. Read the open question/comments made by students

2. Spend time going over the data and responses

3.= Actively looking for feedback about teaching and assessment Compare the data with previous evaluations

5. Discuss the results with colleagues/teaching teams

6. Provide students with feedback on the results

7. Seeking assistance with interpreting the results from others

The Story Appraisals LandscapeHow do teachers feed the outcomes back to students?One of the lowest ranked use of appraisal data was to provide feedback to students. The universities were significantly lower than the polytech in this area.The most preferred way of communicating with students was through paper outlinesThe most commonly cited reason for not feeding back to students was the timing of appraisalHow do teachers use evaluations for professional development?47% discussed with colleagues mainly on course and paper refinementsInstitutional use for promotion inhibits professional developmentImprovements for professional development include flexibility in the instrument and the use of other evaluation methods

Stories from the interviewsAcross the board there is a small percentage of staff who have systematic and deliberate strategies for feedback to students although a number have informal approaches and/or report to the next cohortTiming of evaluations is cited as a major problems in terms of feedback to studentsDiscussion with colleagues is very limited, with a fairly strong culture of privacy around evaluationsMore engagement with feedback at the polytechnic

Join the journey: discussionTo what extent do you consider staff at your institution engage with formal evaluations?

How do staff provide feedback to students on their response to student evaluations?

What strategies can we use to enhance engagement with evaluations feedback for professional development and student learning?

The story the holy grail 1. That institutions ensure that there is clear alignment between their vision/policy statements concerning the auditing and developmental purposes of student evaluation systems and their implementation.2. That institutions implement a professional development policy that includes explicit support for the education of staff and students about the purposes of student evaluation for curriculum and teaching, and the institutional intents and purposes of its student evaluation system.The Holy GrailThat those who administer student evaluation systems recognise the variety of staff perceptions about student evaluations and provide communication, support and resources that address teacher expectation and needs, without compromising institutional intents and purposes.That institutions ensure expectations about teacher and student roles and responsibilities in evaluations are unambiguous, and connections among performance, evaluation and rewards are clearly understood.The Holy GrailThat teachers/faculties/departments schools and institutions embed within the evaluation policies and practices the notion that a well-rounded representation of teaching and courses is more likely to be achieved by drawing on multiple forms of evaluation data.That professional development and course enhancement are firmly ensconced as the foundation and foci of student evaluation processes and practices.Policies, perspectives, practicesDo policies highlight and support the developmental as well as the auditing purposes of student evaluation?Do evaluation instruments and processes fit the needs and context of different programmes and levels?Are evaluation questions informed by current research on teaching and learning?Is there a culture that promotes conversation around teaching, learning and evaluation?Is the evaluation process an integral part of the entire teaching and learning process?31Policies, perspectives, practices.Does the institution provide support and guidance in relation to the interpretation of evaluation feedback?Is there an institutional requirement for teachers to communicate with students about their responses to student feedback?Are students provided with education about evaluations and their use?Does the institution include evaluations education in staff professional development requirements?Are staff required to demonstrate their response to evaluations feedback and undertake appropriate PD?

The case for mid-semester evaluationsClosing the loopFeedbackDialogueStudent engagementIntegral to teaching and learning processClosing the loopStudent feedbackAnalysisActionFeedback to students34The End or the beginning?35