Search Results for: blog the evaluations on the syllabus

Fill them out: Teacher and Course Evaluations

In the next couple of weeks I’ll be handing out evaluation forms to my 400+ students. These forms are used to evaluate the course itself as well as the instructor (me). In addition to raw numerical data there is also the opportunity to provide a certain amount of feedback about the course, instructor, or something else in a handwritten portion. Sadly, a large portion of my class will choose not to fill out those forms. Today I’m going to try to convince you that failing to take the small amount of time it would take to fill out those forms … Continue reading →

The Evaluations on the Syllabus

In the short time before classes begin I have begun my now semi-annual tradition of recalibrating and revising the syllabus for the course that I will teach in the coming semester. While the core components of the course remain the same each time the course is taught it seems that the way those core components are disseminated and recollected changes ever so slightly. The reason for these changes has very little to do with me and everything to do with the students. During each semester I am evaluated as an instructor at least twice. The first time is typically an … Continue reading →

Student Feedback

At the end of each semester students are typically asked to fill out some form of evaluation of the instructor and the course itself. This is an important part of being a student (in my estimation) as it is a chance for students to anonymously (and hopefully honestly) critique their instructors and classes. This past semester I impressed this truth onto my students before their evaluations. No, I didn’t try to sway them to evaluate me favorably. I told them that this is what keeps teachers you like teaching and what makes bad classes tolerable and good classes great. They … Continue reading →

Wrapping up Strong

It’s that time of year again in academia. The year is wrapping up and finals are around the corner. The students are getting excited about a longer break and a period of time without homework or assigned readings. Some of them have even decided to take a look at their grades that have been available to them twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week since the beginning of the semester. Some of them have also, upon recommendation, decided to look at that pesky syllabus I drone on about frequently. I can hear it all around me: the end … Continue reading →

Looking Forward: A Public Plea

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Welcome students! I’m so glad that you’re here for my little pep talk. No, there aren’t any cheerleaders with pom-poms or any banners for football players to storm through onto the field. It’s just me. Think of me as your teacher. Perhaps this isn’t that peppy at all but believe it or not I am. I’m very peppy. I’m very excited about teaching and I’m hoping you’re excited too. I bet you’re wondering whether or not I’ll be the “mean” teacher. I bet you’re wondering whether or not the class will be fun and entertaining and enjoyable. I’ve got some … Continue reading →

How to Learn a Lot

Sometimes classes are boring: really boring. Sometimes you thought you were signing up for a class that was going to really interest you. It was going to cover a topic that you know enough about to be excited about learning more and when you show up for that first day of class you’re the only one with a smile on your face. Then you get the syllabus. After half of an hour talking about the schools policy on tardiness and reading ahead to the actual content you’ve started to become worried about the course. If you’re anything like me you … Continue reading →

The Trials of Switching

Did you ever have a really honest teacher? Someone who didn’t try to hide the chinks in their armor? Someone who pointed out more than the glossy surface but also the underlying cogs, axles, and inevitable grease that made the whole thing run? In short: Did you ever have a teacher who taught you about teaching? At first this may seem weird but I realize that I’ve had many teachers like this. My fifth grade teacher who would open class with a magic trick, close it with cheesy jokes, and teach us amazing (and amazingly related) things in between; my … Continue reading →

Politics, Politics, Politics

Politics in Education you say? Never! Unfortunately this is a reality. This is not (necessarily) the same thing as bureaucracy. This is not (necessarily) about teachers being bogged down with the adult equivalent of busy-work; tracking every single digit of each students progress on a variety of forms preventing the educator from doing the one thing she should be doing: teaching! This is not (necessarily) the same thing… but it is probably closer than I’d like to think about. No, I’m talking about office politics. Sometimes it gets ugly. Students, remember how I’ve written frequently about the syllabus (and I … Continue reading →