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Introduction to Evaluating Teaching
 

Background

As we are all aware, the evaluation of teaching can take several forms (including student evaluation questionnaires, peer review, and self-reflection) and its outcomes may be used for various purposes, including formative development and summative judgements.

Irrespective of the form that the evaluation process takes, one of the main purposes of teaching evaluation is to provide feedback to an individual on the quality of his/her teaching so that he/she can identify individual strengths and weaknesses and decide on developmental needs. In addition, teaching evaluations are often collated within a subject area to provide evidence of teaching quality.

 

Student Evaluation of Teaching

Student evaluation of teaching at QUB takes several forms:

  • Student Teaching Evaluation Questionnaires (STEQs) are used to evaluate the teaching provided by individual teachers; their format varies across the University, although QUB requires certain core questions to be included (see Section I1 of QUB's Quality Assurance Handbook).
  • Module evaluations and pathway reviews provide students with an opportunity to evaluate and comment upon the teaching they have experienced, as well as the resources and facilities available to them.
  • Staff/Student Consultative Committees (SSCCs) "ensure that schools and institutes receive evaluation and feedback from students on the quality of their academic provision and associated activities, and provide a mechanism whereby heads of schools and institutes can seek the views of students on matters of policy related to course development and review." (QUB's Quality Assurance Handbook).
  • On a larger scale, QUB undertakes an annual survey of its graduating students (via questionnaire) to gauge the students' experience of higher education at QUB. For further details contact Paul Monahan (CELT).

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Peer Review/Observation of Teaching

Peer review/observation of teaching is an additional method of providing feedback to an individual on his/her teaching. The usual format is for a colleague from within the same subject area to sit in during a lecture or other teaching session and to review the quality of the teaching observed.

Peer review requires some initial training and an appreciation of how to carry it out. The Staff Training and Development Unit runs a course for Schools interested in introducing this method into their teaching evaluation processes. In addition:

  1. the LTSN Generic Centre has identified a range of developmental models of Peer Observation of Teaching (POT) used in higher education in the UK and internationally
  2. the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) has a summary of its peer review of teaching initiative

For further information on this topic contact Linda Carey (STDU).
 

Self-reflection

Examples of formal opportunities for self-reflection on teaching include: application for membership of the ILTHE, application for promotion, appraisal, development of a personal development portfoliio and/or a curriculum vitae.
 

Teaching Evaluation and Promotion

The outcomes of teaching evaluation are also used as evidence of teaching quality for promotion purposes.

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Talent Online | Copyright © Dr Vicki Tariq 2003 | Updated 9 July 2004