I just made up an evaluation form.
This university doesn't have a standardized evaluation process. They mandate end-of-course evaluations, of course, but departments do it - and in my department, at least, each individual instructor can do what they want. The department assistant showed me some examples of the form people use. Most use the same one, with essentially the same questions. There is no numeric scale on most of these.
I find this weird. I don't get it. It makes me see the value of having a centralized evaluation system, as there has been at the two other universities I've taught at. Frankly, I'm really surprised that this place doesn't have that. I mean, it's a good university. How common is this?
So I made up a form that contained a numeric thing as well. I don't want to dispense with numbers! Numbers have been very good to me in evaluations! The 1-5 scale is one of my best friends; it makes me look good. I don't want to give that up! Numbers are easily crunchable evidence, too, for teaching dossiers, job applications, tenure files.
How weird. Anybody else make up their own evaluations in a centrally mandated process?
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2 comments:
Awesome - ha! I too think it's odd to have the "make your own eval" mandatory...
...but aren't you tempted to put a single question on there: "On a scale from 1 to 5, how would you rate the shoes the instructor wore last Thursday?"
Hee - yes, what a good question!
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