Faculty Evaluation for Online Learning

Institutional Standards and Emerging Practices

Ellen HoffmanEastern Michigan University

Session Overview

• Faculty evaluation - what are the issues?• The case at EMU

– History– E-learning

standards• Discussion - how are

your institutions addressing the issue? Are there best practices to consider?

Course evaluation issues

• Not a scientific method, many studies have revealed issues that make ratings unreliable

• But institutions continue practice– Provide feedback to instructor– Help students choose courses– Influence faculty tenure and promotion

• Degree of influence varies by type of institution as well as department

Questions we should ask

• Who should set evaluation standards?

• How can we make these systems more effective and meaningful for online learning?

• What are considerations that must be brought to bear to make the evaluations useful for different stakeholders (administrators, instructors, students)?

A case study from EMU

Some pertinent facts– Unionized faculty so

many issues governed by contract, not easily changed

– Current process more than ten years old

• Includes faculty reviews by students, peers and department heads

• All premised on face-to-face classes

Student course evaluation

• Based on paper and pencil in-class form• Two required questions for all

faculty– Overall rating of the teaching

effectiveness of this instructor– Overall rating of this course Rating scale: A-E & no response

• Results to faculty about a semester later, published for students after a year• Changing because new computer

system

Additional questions set by department input process

• Example from Teacher Education– My instructor displays a clear understanding of course

topics– My instructor seems well-prepared for class– My instructor has stimulated my thinking– My instructor readily maintains rapport with this class– I can apply information/skills learned in this course– Grades are assigned fairly and impartially– Assignments are of definite instructional value– My instructor respects students from diverse cultural

backgrounds– My instructor respects students regardless of sex, age

or race

Not much better for online courses

• Survey conducted online within course shell, generally lower response rate

• Some example questions– My instructor has an effective style of

presentation– My instructor draws and explains diagrams

effectively– My instructor displays enthusiasm when

teaching– My instructor is readily available for consultation– I feel free to ask questions in class

Faculty observation

• Process set by faculty input process at department level• Observations required by

contract• Most departments have

both peer and dept. head observations• Formal write-ups• For all faculty but matters

most to those seeking tenure and promotion

Example format for review

• Organization of content (clarity of purpose and instruction, logical sequence of instruction and appropriate pacing)

• Knowledge of subject matter (both theoretical and practical issues)

• Interpersonal interactions and rapport (both teacher-student interactions and interaction among students)

• Use of teaching materials and resources which engage students actively in the learning process

• Other observation notes• Strengths, areas for development

Time to move forward with needed changes!

• Outdated system needs fix– Most changes relating

to online courses remain unresolved even though online program from mid-1990’s!

• Committee appointed to review E-learning standards

– Charge was for technology

– Recognized needs were broader

Recommendations in right direction but vague

• Observation– Course evaluations will be

reflective of online learning environment

– Valid for promotion and tenure process

– Course observation process is documented with academic department

• Student evaluation– Course evaluations comply

with institutional processes– Course evaluations are

customized for WWW format

Long way to go . . .

Can we do better?

• Discussion topics– Process to get

change going– Finding best

practices– Sharing research– Successes and

failures– Is it worth it?