Speaking of constructive feedback, what about course evaluations? A nice idea, often implemented very poorly. Firstly, to review committees. Please LOOK at teaching dossier’s when evaluating someone’s teaching. Don’t just base you decision on a set of numbers (usually a mean), which indicates what the student thought of the professor and course. have seen instructors who teach a first year class of 600 compared directly with those that teach a fourth-year class with 35 students. These don’t equate, so you can’t compare them. Better statistical evaluations maybe? Anyone ever heard of the confidence interval? This can help alleviate some of the class-bias. In any manner it is wrong just to sum up a class by one or two numbers.
Yes, true, in the sciences teaching often doesn’t mean as much as it should. Professors who are good at research and *really* bad at teaching, get rewarded regardless. Again, research = grants + papers = good. teaching = sqrt(who cares)!
Sad, that we view things this way. Some of us love teaching, but get frustrated by a system which doesn’t care that much. We want to do innovative things, but many learn the leasson quickly that extra time taken in teaching pedagogy isn’t rewarded. Maybe things will change. I hope so. Many professors could learn a thing or too about pedagogical research. They might learn some new methods for teaching, and might be a little more empathetic towards students. Many forget that they were once students. Others think that a PhD entitles them to behave in a mightier-than-thou fashion. Some academics need to get off their pedastools and integrate into society. Students like profs who can relate to them.
I’m a normal person, and I don’t think I’m better than anyone. I’m have strong opinions, but that’s okay. They are my opinions, and not geared towards pleasing everyone. If you don’t like my opinion, that’s your right. All I want is for things to change, and for everyone to work together to provide a good education for students. That’s not much to ask… to properly educate the people who will one day be running the place is it? Some of us have kids who might one day attend university, and we all hope that they are taught by individuals who do as good a job as we hope we do.
