Korean Job Discussion Forums

[naturegirl321]

While I recognise the importance of what a student has to say about my class, I think that they should take into account the planning, going to meetings, turning in reports, getting along with colleagues, outside research, attendance of conferences, giving workshops, etc.

It also doesn't help that our evals are unreliable and invalid. For example, I've got over 50% of my students saying that I never, hardly ever, or often speak English in class! It's not asking if my English is clear, or understandable, or slow enough for them to understand, (that's a different question). Just asking if I speak English. That should be a big tip off that the evals need to be re-written!

Is this the norm for unis?

[BoholDiver]

There are lots of jobs where renewal or raises are based upon this crap.

At Pagoda they base your raise on it. Some students don't take it seriously, or on evaluation day, the students that like you don't show up.

[hogwonguy1979]

even at univs your renewal is based upon student evals to a large part. i've seen teachers get non-renewed because their students complained about the classes being "too hard" etc

welcome to korea

[naturegirl321]

[liveinkorea316]

You just need to learn to adapt to the system. Making students happy is your number one priority - so try to achieve this.

Try not to piss anyone off and if you do try and make it up to them.

Make your lessons interesting and fun and also useful and full of learning at the same time.

I try to surprise my students with snacks and easier activities on days when i think they would like it - before upcoming tests and in the middle of long semesters.

And I am a Uni teacher.

Making students happy and teaching with integrity and making sure they learn are not at all mutually exclusive.

[Carla]

[Fox]

The problem with basing renewal (or for that matter, compensation) on student evaluations is that it allows the character of the student to affect the teacher's employment and remuneration. In an ideal world this wouldn't be a problem. As 50% of Naturegirl's students not seriously and honestly answering the question about how often she speaks in English in class (to say nothing of their other responses) demonstrates, we don't live in an ideal world.

[liveinkorea316]

I worked at a Hagwon before working in a University here in Korea. I learned quickly at the Hagwon that students have all the power and the teacher is their servant in many ways. But why cry foul - this is your job. Teaching is a service and the ultimate outcome is customer satisfaction.

In Universities in Korea they are not businesses in the same way as Hagwons, but still student satisfaction is how they measure the Foreign teachers. However it doesn't seem to be how the measure local teachers since they have other methods.

Oh BTW my hagwon where I worked was not in Korea it was back home and it was owned by a Chinese Man and serviced International students on their holidays and overseas study. It was run very similar to Korean Hagwons though.

I think if you don't want to at least try to make students happy you should reconsider your career. Teachers often have to put up with alot from students and management and you are stuck in the middle - but who isn't? What do you think it is like for a customer services person in any business? A middle manager? Flight attendant? Taxi driver? They all have to put up with alot just to keep the $$$ rolling in.

When it is your school or uni you can dictate how students MUST act. But until then you gotta play by the rules where you are.

[Draz]

Last year they said renewal depended on student evals being at a certain level. As far as I can tell, it didn't matter. No one gets what they said we should get. The meetings and stuff mattered more in the end.

[Fishead soup]

[naturegirl321]

[naturegirl321]

[languistic]

[languistic]

[naturegirl321]