Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbatt!ihnp4!qantel!lll-lcc!lll-crg!topaz!ll-xn!mit-amt!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!dartvax!chelsea
From: chelsea@dartvax.UUCP (Karen Christenson)
Newsgroups: soc.college
Subject: Re: Student opinion on instructors.
Message-ID: <5166@dartvax.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 21-Sep-86 15:41:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: dartvax.5166
Posted: Sun Sep 21 15:41:46 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 28-Sep-86 20:22:43 EDT
References: <2246@gitpyr.UUCP>
Reply-To: chelsea@dartvax.UUCP (Karen Christenson)
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Lines: 34
Keywords: comments, evaluations, opinion

In article <2246@gitpyr.UUCP> scott@gitpyr.UUCP writes:
>  For that matter, how do other schools go about soliciting student feedback
>on courses and instructors? We have standard course evaluation forms we fill
>out periodicly and one department manages to give exit interviews to
>graduating seniors. Are there more elaborate schemes at other schools? How
>does student opinion figure into tenure decisions?
>
>                          - Scott Holt
>                            ..akgua!gatech!gitpyr!scott

     At Dartmouth, instructors pass out course evaluation forms on the last
day of class.  There is a standard form done by the school, or they might use
a departmental form.  The forms are anonymous and the professor does not see
them until after the grades are reported.  They use a 1-5 rating scale on
various aspects like lectures, readings, and homeworks.  I'm sure the forms
are used by the departments; I'm not sure where in the college bureaucracy
they would go.
     Recently a student group has restarted the Student Course Guide, which
fizzled out some years back.  They've had one issue, but they're having staff
problems.  They ask professors to hand out the forms at the end of classes.
The forms are similar to the college ones with a 1-5 rating scale, but the
questions are a little different.  They ask things like how much homework
there was (not enough to too much) and how useful it was, whether the grading
was harsh or easy, and if it required more or less work than the "average"
course.  I believe if a course was taught in different sections or in some
way had more than one professor, each prof had a separate evaluation
paragraph.
     I really like the idea of a student course guide, because it's done by
students and is more likely to give other students the kind of information
they want.

						Karen Christenson
"Mostly harmless."				...!dartvax!chelsea
			Have an adequate day.