Course Evaluation
Quintella Lauderdale
Design and Process of Curriculum Development
HSN 544
Alice Kindschuh
July 18, 2012

Course Evaluation
Introduction
Course evaluations have been around for a long time. In fact, the first teacher course evaluation referred to as a teacher rating scale, was published in 1915. Shortly thereafter there research on the subject of student evaluations and teacher effectiveness flourished. This began in the mid-1920s. The research slowed down throughout the 1960s and student evaluations were done on a voluntary basis. In the 1970s scholars began to scrutinize the validity of the student evaluations of teachers (SET). At this time, research was strictly focused on clarifying previous research and performing new research. From 1973 to 1983 there was an increase in SET use from 29% to 86% in US colleges and universities. SETs have a widespread use today in higher education. The use of SETs has spread and has also become popular in U.K. and Australia (Densona, Loveday, & Dalton, 2010). Recent research initiated by Frick, Chadha, Watson, & Zlatkovska, developed a new course evaluation instrument for assessing Teaching and Learning Quality (TALQ). TALQ assesses teaching, learning, and the quality of learning. In other words, the assessment is for the teacher, the student, and the curriculum.
A course evaluation can be a paper or electronic evaluation of a course and the instructor responsible for teaching the course. They are meant to provide constructive criticism and useful feedback so that the teacher or school can improve their quality of teaching. A course evaluation can be used for promotion purposes, tenure, or salary increases. In education, course evaluations are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of teaching and a measure of performance. It also enhances the instructor’s teaching style, when necessary. Outcomes, objectives, and theories will be used in the evaluation of a course evaluation.
Were expected outcomes identified for this course?
In what ways were the outcomes specific to the student population?
To what extent were the outcomes measurable within the timeframe of completion?
To what extent were learner objectives specific enough for prospective students?
What was the relationship between the outcomes and the objectives?
What learning theory/philosophy (ies) do you think served as the foundation of this course?
Conclusion
Both schools and teachers can use information from course evaluations to interpret how others feel about their style of teaching. According to Frick, 2010, “Complex learning has been defined as involving “the integration of knowledge, skills, and attitudes.” Although a course evaluation provides instructors with feedback about their effectiveness in teaching, the ultimate goal to improve student’s outcome of material taught (Densona et al., 2010). Many instructors value what students say and take to heart evaluations that are more specific and constructive. Course evaluations typical do not include any items related to student learning and achievement. According to Frick et al. 2010, p.116, “global items such as “This was an outstanding course” or “The instructor of this course was outstanding” correlate moderately with student achievement.” While these items do predict increased student achievement, they do not indicate how to improve teaching.
Most course evaluations were in the past completed with pen and paper; however, recently many schools have moved towards using electronic evaluations. Some studies report that initially the rates of completing electronic evaluations drop, but eventually they rise again. They do not affect grades and are often offered after grades have been posted. So there is no reason to worry if the instructor will adversely affect grades or punish those students completing course evaluations. Feedback and comments are very important to the schools and instructors alike. They promote change within some courses and make the schools aware of what’s not working. The most important part of the evaluation is to get the students involved and to complete them. Evaluations can be biased if when a small amount of students complete them. It is best to let students know the true purpose of the course evaluations then they will be more likely to complete the evaluation. Course evaluations have been around since the early 1900s and they will continue to provide educators with feedback on their teaching. As long as they are providing input to educators and are being completed by students, there will be room for improvement, and this can possibly open up additional research on the subject.

References
Densona, N., Loveday, T., & Dalton, H. (2010, August). Student evaluation of courses: what predicts satisfaction? Higher Education Research & Development, 29, 339-356. doi:10.1080/07294360903394466
Frick, T. W., Chadha, R., Watson, C., & Zlatkovska, E. (2010). Improving course evaluations to improve instruction and complex learning in higher education. Education Tech Research Dev, 58, 115-136. doi:10.1007/s11423-009-9131-z