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Capergirl · Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 5:09 pm Post subject: Instructor Evaluations

I had a chance to peruse the results of our recent instructor evaluations today (my own, not the other instructors'). I was a bit surprised to see that a few students had circled "disagree" or "strongly disagree" with some of the statements.

The statements were: (1) The instructor motivates students to do their best. (2) The instructor takes extra time after class to help students with any questions or problems. (3) The instructor treats students with courtesy and respect.

Sad

I think that I know which students graded me poorly in these areas because I had had a 'talk' with a few of them just a few days before the evaluations were filled out. We (the instructors) have to make telephone calls to students every so often (pain in the $#@, but anyway...). One of the students gave me major attitude on the phone one night. Not only that but he wouldn't pass the phone over to his roommates. So I had a little meeting with them and told them that I would not tolerate disrespect, whether it was on the phone or in the classroom, and that if I met with that attitude again in the future, I would cease to call them and their employer would be told why. How ironic that they seem to think that I was being disrespectful to them!

Alas, I'm feeling a bit low today. Crying or Very sad

willy · Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 5:42 pm Post subject:

Ya funny thing many of my students write �the teacher should speck Indonesian so we can talk to him� ya right..
�The teacher talks too much� and �we want to use the computers more� but when they do? �It�s boring��..

Funny thing they love the books (never used books with color I guess) Cutting Edge, new and not bed but�.books just the same

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

If the form's in English just tell them what boxes to tick.

willy · Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 8:02 pm Post subject:

Well actually I made it and had it translated to indo.

After all the point is to help me be a better teacher and help the school met the students needs.

Well unless you work for ILP in indo they never share toe info with the teacher.

So what�s the point???

Shaman · Joined: 06 Apr 2003 Posts: 446 Location: Hammertown

I wouldn't worry about it too much, Capes. I get an evaluation every month from my biz classes. Hell, I get evaluated more than the students do. Rolling Eyes

To a great degree, I think that evaluations should be taken with a grain of salt. Most academic supervisors do too (within reason, of course). I'd just love to recreate a scene from the film Major League.

Students hand me their evaluations. Much to their surprise, I survey their written opinions in front of them. I pick out one that I considered to be off the mark, unfair etc. and drop it on the floor. I look at said student without blinking and unzip and urinate all over it, not once taking my stare away from the student in question.

Crass? Definitely. Juvenile? Probably. Satisfying? Beyond a doubt. Twisted Evil

Shaman

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

My school just did evaluations too. I will see the results after I hand in the students' grades next week. I'm concerned because I think our year-end bonus is based partially on those evaluations. Mine are usually good enough, but I'm worried that one pissed off student could cost me a lot of money. (And I did have one MAJOR problem student this term--he was absent for days at a time, but of course he showed up on evaluation day! Didn't participate in any of the activities that day...)

d

ntropy · Joined: 11 Oct 2003 Posts: 671 Location: ghurba

I get evaluated every 3-4 months for each of my different classes.

Read them and take the constructive criticism and forget the rest. Just because a student liked or didn't like me doesn't mean I was good or bad.

There is the pay raise, promotion thing tied to it but life's too short to worry about things you can't control. I teach the way I feel is honestly best for each student and after that I can't change anything from above.

I have a Dean who brings in cartloads of nationals from his home country and immediately forces them into the Advanced level, which they promptly fail as they don't the skills. I have received a lot of grief to pass them (human compassion, yadda, yadda) but will only give the grade their performance deserved. Yeah, I'm likely to be laid off next month because of thisk, low student numbers and I'm the newest here, but I wouldn't want to work at a place that arbitrarily changed grades based on personal connections to senior management anyway.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

What Ntropy said.
The comment cards and such are to give you constructive criticism. Read them to see what you are doing right and wrong, and use them to improve your teaching.
Ignore the comments that were made just to be cruel. People can sometimes be d1cks.

FGT · Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 762 Location: Turkey

Similarly ignore the sheets that come back with all boxes ticked as perfect - these students aren't even thinking about it, which means they're not that bothered: entertainment, entertainment.....

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

I've never been evaluated at my current university job (20 months and counting) and probably never will. It's scary to have this much control and it would be easy to abuse it. There's no extrinsic motivation for me to do a good job in class. There is a temptation to slack off, but it is my conscience that drives my work ethic.

joe-joe · Joined: 15 Oct 2003 Posts: 100 Location: Baku, Azerbaijan

Capergirl, as several others have said don't take such remarks to heart. Whenever I've had feedback from either a supervisor or students, (and it has been regular), you do get to know when the criticism is constructive and genuine, or just some rectum maximus being unpleasant. So don' t feel down, ok? Very Happy

Capergirl · Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2004 12:18 pm Post subject:

I'm trying not to take it personally, but I do take my job very seriously and devote a lot of time and energy to my students and their courses, so it's kind of hard not to take it personally. The students were expected to arrive back in Canada yesterday, so I'll be seeing them on Monday. Now I have to act as though I don't know that a few of them cut me up on the evaluations. Confused

khmerhit · Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2004 2:00 pm Post subject:

Ha! Dont take no heed of dem, Capergirl. They don't know how lucky they are.

khmerhit Cool

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

Let's get a bit of perspective here....

these people are not even qualified to teach... heck some of them aren't even qualified to be in the classroom Laughing

You wouldn't take a novice TEFLer's comments too seriously so why take a student's. I know it is tough to hear what they say Capers but I hope that maybe shifting the perspective will reveal just how meaningless their comments are in terms of how you really teach...

I get evaluated by my line manager and Senior Teacher. Not looking forward to it but I know it will be useful. Thankfully, I evaluate students - not the other way around.

ntropy · Joined: 11 Oct 2003 Posts: 671 Location: ghurba

Capergirl,

There is no way your institution should have shown you those evaluations until the students were finished the course and you would not be teachign them again. Otherwise, it leads to the very situation you are in: uncomfortable and doubting. On the other side, why would a student be honest if s/he knows that you know what s/he said about you and now you have the opportunity to mark/grade them?

Of course, none of us at Dave's would be so petty, but other English teachers are only human, not divine like us.

Perhaps a suggestion to admin?