Evaluation
“Some training and development professionals believe that evaluation means measuring changes in behavior that occur as a result of training programs. Others maintain that the only real evaluation lies in determining what final results occurred because of training programs. Still others think only in terms of the comment sheets that participants complete at the end of a program. Others are concerned with the learning that takes place in the classroom, as measured by increased knowledge, improved skills, and changes in attitude. And they are all right—and yet wrong, in that they fail to recognize that all four approaches are parts of what we mean by evaluating.” (Kirkpatrick, 1998)
This phase is about ensuring that your teaching practice is responsive to the context. This is about yourself as a teacher, understanding your students, the SU environment, the national HE context, South Africa and beyond.
1 of 6Outcomes are the end goals of the learning process. They are formulated to describe the result of student learning at the end of the learning opportunities. This is not about content but rather about the concepts and underlying principles of the field of study.
2 of 6Assessment is about how well your students achieve the intended learning outcomes. This is not about them reporting back what you have taught them, but rather about how well they demonstrate their understanding of the key concepts and underlying principles of their field of study.
3 of 6Learning is about what the students do, not about what you do as the teacher. Your role is to design learning opportunities that engage students and enable them to access disciplinary knowledge.
4 of 6This is where you consider whether you have achieved what you had set out to achieve with your module.
5 of 6 YOU ARE HERE 6 of 6Background
The reflection phase affords lecturers the opportunity to establish whether the module, and their teaching, achieved its stated objectives and outcomes. Now that we have had to move our teaching online and off-campus, it is more important than ever before to maintain contact with our students and obtain their feedback on how they are progressing with their learning. Teaching face to face in class, it is usually possible to gauge students’ faces and nonverbal expressions when we explain or ask something. In the online space, however, we need to employ other techniques to determine how well students are learning, and how well we are teaching. This reflection can occur by gathering data and/or obtaining feedback through the lecturer feedback form, peer observations and formal or informal student feedback using classroom assessment techniques (CATs). This information can then be used to inform the curriculum context for the next round of teaching, learning and assessment.
What are the requirements of a teaching portfolio?
Teaching Portfolios
The portfolio should describe curriculum, teaching, learning and/or assessment initiatives that reflect on:
- the particular teaching context,
- engagement with and understanding of the student diversity and challenges,
- the nature of the relevant knowledge and practices in the curriculum,
- (in)formal professional growth opportunities including innovative projects, course attendance, collaboration and/or educational research.
The Purpose of Student Feedback
Student Feedback
Student feedback should primarily be used to support lecturers in their professional learning and growth. Secondary to this, student feedback can also be used as part of performance appraisal processes, but never as the single source of information for evaluating teaching.
