Introduction 

The Ad-hoc Committee on Student Evaluations was convened to explore the development of a new form and process for soliciting and using student feedback. The committee has met regularly (once every week or two) since February of 2019.

Charge
As stated in the February, 2019 CoFac Report, this committee is focused on the nature and role of student evaluations as they relate to student learning, teaching effectiveness, and course learning goals.

Current Student Evaluation Form

Committee Members

  • Jim MaKinster, Professor of Education, co-chair

  • Susan Pliner, Dean for Teaching, Learning and Assessment, co-chair

  • David Galloway, Chair of the Assessment Committee and Associate Dean for Curricular Initiatives and Development

  • Sigrid Carle, Professor of Biology

  • Amy Green, Visiting Assistant Professor of Writing and Rhetoric

  • Craig Talmage, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies

Guiding Assumptions of the Committee

  • Students should have an opportunity to provide feedback on their learning.

  • Students are diverse in terms of their ability to reflect on their learning, but most can do so productively and meaningfully.

  • At HWS, we should have a culture of asking students to reflect on their learning.

  • At HWS, we should have a consistent culture of reflective practice in terms of teaching.

Focus on Student Learning

  • Requires students to be reflective on their learning

  • Moves the focus from whether something was good or bad to whether it did or didn’t accomplish something

  • Moves the focus from the faculty member to the student

  • Provides faculty members with feedback that is more useful in terms of changing or modifying one’s course design and teaching

  • Changes the culture of the way in which students think about their role within their educational experience

Value of this Approach to a Faculty Member

  • Provides faculty with feedback that is more meaningful and useful

  • Provides faculty with information they can use to reflect on and improve their teaching

  • Reduces the opportunity of students to make discriminatory and biased comments

  • Enables faculty to monitor the nature and quality of student learning from year to year

  • Can serve as information for department and program curriculum conversations

Hateful and Discriminatory Course Evaluations Policy (Written and adopted in Spring of 2019)

Sources of Evidence and Information

  • Relevant Literature (link to another page?)

  • Models at Other Institutions (link to another page?)

  • Survey on Tenure and Promotion (link)

  • Untenured Faculty Forum (3/16/2019)

  • Faculty Forums (3/13/2019 & 3/14/2019)

  • Faculty Survey on Student Evaluations (4/22/2019 - results in Sept Faculty Meeting Report)

  • Student Focus Groups (end of Fall 2019 semester)

  • Faculty Pilot Focus Group (2/27/2020)

September 2019 Faculty Meeting

April 2020 Faculty Meeting

Proposed Timeline and Next Steps

  • Meet with IT Services to discuss the technological requirements of the form and process (Done)

  • Refine our recommendations regarding implementation and how this form will be used in the context of reviews (Done)

  • Facilitate a discussion about the proposed form and implementation recommendations at the mid-April faculty meeting (Done)

  • Facilitate a larger pilot test at the end of the Spring 2020 semester (Done)

  • Finalize the form and implementation recommendations (Done)

  • Present the form and recommendations at October faculty meeting

  • Facilitate a motion and vote in support of the form

  • If the motion passes, facilitate a beta test of implementation at the end of the Spring 2021 semester involving specific departments; this would include using whatever technological platform/tool is necessary

  • Plan on full implementation during the Fall 2021 semester