Magna20Minute Mentor. What Can I Learn From Student Ratings? Ivan A. Shibley, Jr., Ph.D. Presented by:

Transcription

1 Magna20Minute Mentor What Can I Learn From? Presented by: Ivan A. Shibley, Jr., Ph.D. MAGNA

2 Presenter Bio: Dr. Ivan A. Shibley, Jr. (Ike) is associate professor of chemistry at Penn State Berks, a small four-year college within the Penn State system. He received his B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from East Carolina University. Between undergraduate and graduate school he spent four years in the Navy where he taught nuclear physics and radiation safety. He now teaches introductory chemistry, general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, philosophy of science courses, first-year bioethics seminar, and senior science seminar. His research involves pedagogical approaches to improving science instruction at the college level. He has won both local and university-wide awards for his teaching including this year's Eisenhower Award presented to a tenured Penn State faculty member who exhibits excellent teaching as well as mentoring other teachers. Ike became involved in blended learning as part of an 18-month project to completely redesign the general chemistry course at Berks. As part of a team of six professionals who invested over 1,000 man-hours in the redesign Ike helped provide the pedagogical and subject matter expertise to help guide the redesign. The course has now been delivered in a blended format for three years with an average GPA almost 25% higher than previous years. Ike has taught the three sections of the course and is currently co-authoring a manuscript about the results. Ike recently redesigned a nutrition course that was taught in a blended format that met only half the number of hours of a traditional course with comparable grades. He has presented his work on blended learning at numerous professional conferences and has become an advocate of blended learning. Need tech help? Please call our Customer Service department at (800) ext.2 or them at support@magnapubs.com Magna Publications Inc. All rights reserved. It is unlawful to duplicate, transfer, or transmit this program in any manner without written consent from Magna Publications. The information contained in this online seminar is for professional development purposes but does not substitute for legal advice. Specific legal advice should be discussed with a professional attorney. To make this program available to all your faculty and staff, contact Magna s Customer Service department at ext. 2 and ask about our Campus Access License.

3 What Can I Learn From? Ike Shibley 1 What We Know About They vary little over each course They provide global assessment Ratings are lower for science & technology courses 2 What We Know About Higher level courses tend to receive higher ratings The instructor, not the course itself, is what students rate 3

4 What We Know About You should have at least 15 forms to consider the results significant Students are reliable judges of many items including teacher fairness, ethical behavior, and communication ability 4 What We Know About Students rate teachers high who are organized and understandable Students rate difficult courses more highly if the teacher is organized and understandable 5 What We Know About Ratings are a bit higher for smaller classes Students rate teachers higher when they believe that they learned more 6

5 Receiving Feedback 1. List the aspects of teaching that went well 2. Think of some aspects that you want to improve upon 3. Predict what some student comments might look like 7 Receiving Feedback Always try to have a trusted colleague review your ratings with you Your own bias will cloud judgment because you ll focus on negative comments 8 Receiving Feedback Look for patterns in the comments Compare the comments to your own conceptions about the course Try to specifically identify examples of student criticisms 9

6 Relying on Colleagues We all need support when it comes to student ratings You could find a ratings buddy where you read the ratings together, maybe over lunch 10 Relying on Colleagues An experienced mentor can help you make sense of specific aspects of ratings You need to find a sympathetic and insightful ear to listen and to guide 11 Relying on Colleagues Ask colleague to visit your class Observer should look for specific incidents, overall classroom climate, how students respond to activities in class 12

7 Relying on Colleagues Debriefing is critically important Review the entire class and listen carefully to the observer s report Dialogue with the observer to ask questions about his or her observations 13 Relying on Colleagues Consider team-teaching Take a class outside your discipline Meet with a faculty developer Form a teaching support group 14 Conclusions Don t go it alone: friends double the pleasure and halve the pain Ratings are valuable You can improve your ratings 15

8 Thank you for your time We would like to hear from you! Please consider completing an evaluation form found at 16