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Teaching Evaluations at TTU Using the IDEA Instrument

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Are Student Evaluations of Teaching Valid?

• Student evaluations can be influenced by communication skills and teaching style

• Students do not evaluate the accuracy of information presented

Yes, but realize -

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Teaching Evaluation Policy at TTU

•Untenured Faculty - Every Course

•Tenured Faculty - 2 courses per year

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Teaching Evaluation Instrumentused at Tennessee Tech Univ

• IDEA (Individual Development and Educational Assessment) www.idea.ksu.edu

• Developed at Kansas State University and disseminated to other universities in 1975

• Currently used by many institutions across the U.S.

• Continually improved through research and testing.

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Key Features of IDEA System

• Instructor selects teaching goals • Controls for extraneous variables

(e.g., motivation and class size)

• National database for comparisons• Adaptable to web-based instruction

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Students rate their progress in each course compared to other courses on goals such as

• Gaining Factual Knowledge• Learning to apply course material to solve

problems• Acquiring skills in working with others as a team• Learning to analyze and critically evaluate ideas• Developing creative capacities

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Effective Use of IDEA Depends on

• Selecting the appropriate form

• Selecting appropriate course goals

• Interpreting the results correctly

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Choosing the Long or Short Form

                                           

Form (long or short)

Course Section No. of Students

Admin. Date

Time & Place for Admin.

IDEA Teaching Evaluation Request

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Long Versus Short Form

• 18 core questions• 29 additional

methods/diagnostic questions

• 10 additional questions possible

• Space for student comments

• 18 core questions• 10 additional

questions possible• Space for student

comments

Long Short

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Differences in controlled variables

Long form• Class size

• Desire to take course regardless of who taught it

• Student effort not attributable to instructor

• Course difficulty not attributable to Instructor

Short form• Class size

• Desire to take course regardless of who taught it

• Student effort not attributable to instructor

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Selecting Objectives on the Faculty Information Form

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When to mark an objective as important or essential

Is this a significant part of thecourse?

Do I do something specific tohelp the students accomplishthis objective?

Does the student's progress onthis objective affect his or hergrade?

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Report Form

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Relationship Between Progress on Relevant Objectives and Excellence of Teacher

Excellence of Teacher

9080706050403020100Pro

gres

s on

Rel

evan

t O

bjec

tives 90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

100

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Report Form

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Relationship Between Progress on Relevant Objectives and “How Hard Students Work”

0

20

40

60

80

1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0

Q# 37 "Worked Hard"

Observed

Linear

Progress on Relevant Objectives

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Suggestions to Help Improve Teaching Evaluations

• Select appropriate goals for the course.– Is this a significant part of the course?

– Do I do something specific to help the students accomplish this objective?

– Does the student’s progress on this objective affect his or her grade?

• Clearly explain goals at the beginning of course and frequently remind students of those goals. Include goals on syllabus.

• Monitor student’s progress on those goals and provide alternative opportunities for improvement on the goals.

• Don’t give tests that have to be dramatically curved.

• Don’t have evaluations completed immediately after giving a test. • Use active learning techniques.

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Teaching Evaluations & The QEP

• Improve Students’ critical thinking/real-world problem solving through the use of active learning strategies. with emphasis on

• Communication skills

• Teamwork skills

• Creative thinking

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Frequency IDEA Objectives SelectedFrequency IDEA Objectives are Selected by Instructors

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Objective

% o

f ti

me

se

lec

ted

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Progress on IDEA Objectives

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38.0

40.0

42.0

44.0

46.0

48.0

50.0

52.0

Objective

Ad

j T

Sc

ore

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Local Norms for Overall Progress on Objectives

http://iweb.tntech.edu/ideaevaluations/Norms.htm

Frequency IDEA Objectives are Selected and Overall Progress by Unit

http://www.tntech.edu/planning/Assessment/assessment.htm

Information about TTU QEP

http://www.tntech.edu/qep/

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Thank You

End