Report of the Task Force

& Recommended Changes For The Current Evaluation Form

Several years ago, when the current evaluation form was adopted, many of the faculty in quantitative fields, and faculty who often taught large lecture sections, thought that some of the items on the course evaluation form weren't appropriate for the types of courses they taught. (They thought the wording of some of the items was better suited for classes in which students typically submitted papers and were expected to participate in class discussions, as opposed to classes where the vast majority of the class time is used for formal lectures and class participation does not play a big role, and assignments are typically problem sets (if anything).)

The changes indicated below were developed by the Task Force in order to make the items on the form, in a sense, more general. Without going to different versions of the form for different types of classes, and without making radical changes to the current form, the Task Force thinks that these suggested changes may be the best way to improve upon the current form.

The Task Force met with a student focus group and solicited opinions from other members of the faculty in order to determine what the appropriate changes to the evaluation form should be. We considered many different ideas, but in the end concluded that for now some simple changes will be best.

The Task Force recommends that a new, perhaps larger, task force be formed to deal with the university's conversion to online course/teaching evaluations, and to investigate having different evaluation forms for different types of classes, which is what some other universites have moved to, and would be possible at GMU with the conversion to online evaluations. (Note: The conversion to online evaluation is being seriously considered due to budget concerns, and because online evaluations will allow for department heads and instructors to get feedback about teaching more quickly.)


Below, red is used to show what is currently on the evaluation form, and green is used to show recommended changes.

If you have comments and suggestions, please send e-mail to Clifton Sutton (csutton@gmu.edu) by March 16.

Item 1 on the current form is:
Course requirements were clearly stated in the syllabus
This item could be changed to:
Course requirements and expectations were clear.
Comments:
Some students may not have easy access to the syllabus when they complete their evaluation, but they may remember a discussion of the requirements and expectations since many faculty routinely spend time on these things during the first class meeting. Plus, as the semester progresses, and more details are added, it's important that requirements and expectations remain clear.
Item 2 on the current form is:
The course was well organized
This item could be changed to:
No change suggested
Item 3 on the current form is:
The instructor explained the material clearly
This item could be changed to:
The instructor helped me to better understand the course material
Comments:
The proposed item is more general, reflecting the fact that there are many ways to help students better understand the course material.
Item 4 on the current form is:
Comments and suggestions on returned material were helpful
This item could be changed to:
Feedback (comments and suggestions written on papers, solutions provided, class discussion, etc.) was helpful
Comments:
With some types of assignments it's not efficient to write a lot of individual comments on student papers. In some classes, instructors supply the students with detailed solutions to problem sets, or routinely discuss typical mistakes in class. There are other ways to supply feedback than to write "comments and suggestions on returned materials."
Item 5 on the current form is:
The instructor showed respect for the students
This item could be changed to:
No change suggested
Item 6 on the current form is:
The instructor was accessible either in person or electronically
This item could be changed to:
No change suggested
Item 7 on the current form is:
The instructor followed the stated course grading policy
This item could be changed to:
The course grading policy was clear
Comments:
Students aren't in a position to know whether or not the stated grading policy was actually followed, especially since the course evaluations should be turned in prior to final grades being given. What is important is that students have information, in advance, as to how grades will be assigned.
Item 8 on the current form is:
The exams reflected what was covered in the course
This item could be changed to:
Graded work reflected what was covered in the course
Comments:
Replacing "exams" with graded work makes the item much more general. Some classes don't have exams, or only have a final exam which wouldn't have been seen at the time students complete the evaluations.
Item 9 on the current form is:
The assignments (projects, papers, presentations, etc.) helped me learn the material
This item could be changed to:
No change suggested
Item 10 on the current form is:
Readings helped me understand the course topic
This item could be changed to:
The textbook and/or assigned readings helped me understand the material
Comments:
In a lot of quantitative courses, there are no assigned readings other than the textbook.
Item 11 on the current form is:
Assignments and exams were returned promptly
This item could be changed to:
Assignments and exams were returned in a reasonable amount of time
Comments:
Some students may take promptly to mean the next class meeting, but in some cases it may be unreasonable for students to expect their work to be graded and returned so quickly (e.g., if the class is very large, or if it typically takes the instructor a long time to grade a student's paper).
Item 12 on the current form is:
The instructor covered the important aspects of the course as outlined in the syllabus
This item could be changed to:
No change suggested
Item 13 on the current form is:
The instructor made the class intellectually stimulating
This item could be changed to:
No change suggested
Item 14 on the current form is:
The instructor encouraged the students to be actively involved in the material through discussion and other activities.
This item could be changed to:
The instructor encouraged the students to be actively involved in the material through discussion, assignments, and other activities.
Comments:
With some classes (e.g., those which cover rather technical material), many students would much rather listen to the instructor teach them how to work with the complicated material than listen to other students discuss it, and the way students get involved with the material is to go home and work on carefully-designed assignments.
Item 15 on the current form is:
My overall rating of the teaching
This item could be changed to:
No change suggested
Item 16 on the current form is:
My overall rating of this course
This item could be changed to:
No change suggested