2008 Woodie Awards
Student evaluations evolve; new form for spring
By: Elissa Schaufman
Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: News
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DePauw's student evaluations will be undergoing some changes this semester, with one major goal in mind: getting the students to understand that their opinions really matter.
The majority of professors involved in the changes, which come from the subcommittee on student forms, said they believe students don't really understand how much weight the evaluations have.
"The subcommittee would not have been formed were it not for that belief," said Bob Hershberger, head of the subcommittee.
Professors said students are mistaken if they assume evaluations are not given consideration.` The evaluations help professors assess student response to new teaching methods, as well as help them improve the existing ones. However, responses on the forms have become decreasingly useful in recent years.
"I've noticed how little students write, and that has always been troubling," Hershberger said.
Part of the goal of the revisions is to create more effective questions so the answers are practical.
"The way the questions are worded would result in data that would essentially be meaningless," Hershberger said.
The forms are administered to each class at the end of every semester, and are instrumental in reviews for tenure and promotion at DePauw. All student evaluations are included in the tenure review, said Jeff Kenney, chair of the Committee on Faculty.
"You can't cherry-pick," Kenney said. "They will go through those packets and often read the narrative."
While student evaluations are only a part of the tenure and promotion files, they matter more than most students may think, said several professors, especially because DePauw puts a lot of emphasis on teaching.
"Whenever anyone in a department comes up for tenure, everyone in the department reads it," said Meryl Altman, a member of the subcommittee.
The subcommittee conducted several experiments with the student forms last semester, using the classes of volunteer senior faculty members. The trial form was given two ways; online in class and online outside of class. The students who filled out the forms were invited to a student focus group run by librarian Tiffany Hebb, also a member of the subcommittee.
The majority of professors involved in the changes, which come from the subcommittee on student forms, said they believe students don't really understand how much weight the evaluations have.
"The subcommittee would not have been formed were it not for that belief," said Bob Hershberger, head of the subcommittee.
Professors said students are mistaken if they assume evaluations are not given consideration.` The evaluations help professors assess student response to new teaching methods, as well as help them improve the existing ones. However, responses on the forms have become decreasingly useful in recent years.
"I've noticed how little students write, and that has always been troubling," Hershberger said.
Part of the goal of the revisions is to create more effective questions so the answers are practical.
"The way the questions are worded would result in data that would essentially be meaningless," Hershberger said.
The forms are administered to each class at the end of every semester, and are instrumental in reviews for tenure and promotion at DePauw. All student evaluations are included in the tenure review, said Jeff Kenney, chair of the Committee on Faculty.
"You can't cherry-pick," Kenney said. "They will go through those packets and often read the narrative."
While student evaluations are only a part of the tenure and promotion files, they matter more than most students may think, said several professors, especially because DePauw puts a lot of emphasis on teaching.
"Whenever anyone in a department comes up for tenure, everyone in the department reads it," said Meryl Altman, a member of the subcommittee.
The subcommittee conducted several experiments with the student forms last semester, using the classes of volunteer senior faculty members. The trial form was given two ways; online in class and online outside of class. The students who filled out the forms were invited to a student focus group run by librarian Tiffany Hebb, also a member of the subcommittee.
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