EXCERPT FROM
 

Tutoring and Demonstrating

A guide for the University of Melbourne

by

Richard James & Gabrielle Baldwin

Centre for the Study of Higher Education

The University of Melbourne, Australia,

1997

Acting on the Findings

There is no point to evaluation unless there is reflection on the findings and, wherever possible, action taken. As Ramsden and Dodds point out in mproving teaching and course: A guide to evaluation (1989), the person who evaluates is the teacher herself/himself. The perceptions of others represent crucial evidence for this process of self-evaluation, but the significance and implications of these perceptions, and the appropriate responses, are matters of professional judgement. All teachers have a responsibility to take students' opinions very seriously; they do not have to agree with their prescriptions.

It may be helpful to see this process in terms of a dialogue between teachers and students, rather than as a piece of market research which automatically dictates action. For example, very vocationally oriented students may regard some theoretical explorations as irrelevant and boring. If teaching staff believe they are essential, it is up to them to convince the students of this. Direct discussion of the problem can go a long way. Students are usually very responsive if you 'let them in' on your thinking. They can become dissatisfied quickly if they cannot see why you are doing certain things.

Other kinds of feedback are more straightforward. If students have trouble reading your writing on a whiteboard or hearing you, that is an undeniable impediment to communication and must be addressed. But first, they must be given the opportunity to tell you of these simple problems. Students can be a great help in making suggestions about how to deal with problems. If they indicate general dissatisfaction with an area, try discussing with them how it could be improved: they are likely to have useful suggestions and will appreciate being involved.

To see evaluation only in terms of an end-of-semester questionnaire is very limiting. Evaluation should be thought of as an on-going process which is an integral part of good teaching. To assist you in evaluating your teaching, the final chapter of this guide contains a self-review checklist.
 

Next chapter: Chapter 9 Your career development: advice for graduate students

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