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Instructional Sciences and Assessment > Assessment

U Course Evaluations

Course evaluations are usually conducted mid-semester and at the end of each semester. These evaluations will be used to give instructors an idea about the learning environment and teaching effectivness etc. Evaluations are given anonymously in an online environment using the CoursEval™ software package. Students can login to a course using the username and password assigned to them, complete an evaluation, and results will be stored in a database that instructor's can access (also using an assigned username and password) to privately review the results. Go to CoursEval

Peer Teaching Evaluations

Because many aspects of teaching remain invisible to students, their evaluations alone are inadequate to provide comprehensive and convergent evidence of teaching effectiveness. In addition to student assessments, evaluations need to be obtained from individuals who both understand the subject matter and recognize the intellectual effort and pedagogical merit involved in various instructional activities. Thus, the evaluation process we encourage should also include a peer teaching review from colleagues who are in a position to compare a particular teaching effort--content, methods, emphasis and so forth--with other possible ones.

Five important aspects of teaching that can evolve through peer evaluations include:

• The intellectual content of the material taught, including relevancy, breadth, depth.
• The instructor's grasp of the material; ability to present course content clearly and logically, to place specific material within thematic contexts and to demonstrate the significance and relevancy of course content.
• The instructor's ability to engage and challenge students and to teach critical thinking and questioning skills.
• The instructor's ability to provide intellectual inspiration and leadership and to awaken new interests.
• The instructor's use of innovative approaches to teaching, and where appropriate, the use of instructional technology or other activities designed to enhance the learning process.

To schedule a course evaluation or peer teaching evaluation, please contact Melissa S. Medina.

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