Nov 17 - Discussion Questions

• This chapter discusses getting feedback from faculty development specialists. The author indicates that the feedback has to be requested by the faculty member. I know elementary schools require teachers to be evaluated by senior faculty once a year (they come into the classroom and watch them teach). Why don't universities make this mandatory or would this seem insulting??
• Is there any instructor input in the end of semester evaluations at CSUS? I've noticed that many of the questions are worded such that it is hard to mark anything less than adequate, so it hardly seems an accurate reflection of their teaching skills. Can instructors administer their own in addition to the department form?
• Is it better to get student feedback in the middle of the semester (when you have time to improve in that class) or at the end (after students have more fully experienced the course)?
• Contiuing education, seminars, and workshops are obviously very important and are used for several professional jobs; what types of contiuing education courses are available for a teachers who primarily teaches introductory courses to make sure you have the most up to date information?
• Are there certain behaviors an instructor can look for as a red flag that points specifically to lack of student learning and not just lack of student motivation? Also, are professors required to take any continuing education courses like other professions?
• How important is it to get student feedback throughout the course in the form of questionnares, as McKeachie suggests? Typically student feedback is only given at the end of the course, and then usually seems to have little impact on how the professor designs his lectures.
• McKeachie only talks briefly about self-evaluation as an instructor. What are some effective ways to do that?
• How important is it for student evaluation forms to include open ended, as well as Likert type scale questions?