Help improve course evaluations and student feedback at McMaster
McMaster’s Office of the Provost is seeking input on possible plans to enhance the way in which students evaluate teaching and give feedback on their courses.
The McMaster teaching and learning community is invited to learn about a review of student evaluations and to offer feedback on recommendations at one of three town hall sessions on the subject this month. Their feedback will help shape the future of course evaluation at McMaster.
Town hall meeting schedule:
Session 1
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 21
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Location: MUSC 318
Session 2
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Location: MacPherson Institute Classroom
Session 3
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29
Time: 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: MacPherson Institute Classroom
Click here to register for one of the sessions
More about the student evaluation of teaching review
In 2019, the McMaster University Faculty Association developed a committee to review Student evaluation of teaching at the university.
The committee gathered data through focus groups, surveys, interviews and a literature review.
The committee has reviewed current student evaluation practices and developed recommendations for improvement.
A central component of the committee’s recommendations was the inclusion of student input about their learning experiences for three purposes:
Formative: to help instructors and programs provide better quality teaching suited to the needs of their students.
Summative: to help administrators assess the quality and effort provided by individual instructors.
Accountability: to help instructors, program managers, Deans and the VP Academic assess the experience of students at McMaster and respond to the perceived weaknesses.
Various initiatives are being considered with these purposes in mind. Feedback from the McMaster teaching and learning community at these town hall sessions will be used to help shape the future of course evaluation at the institution moving forward.
For more information please review MUFA’s Report on Student Evaluations of Teaching, November, 2019.
The review committee was comprised of Michel Grignon (Chair, McMaster University Faculty Association), Joe Kim (Associate Professor, Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour), Lynn Martin (Assistant Professor, School of Nursing), Kris Knorr (Educational Developer, MacPherson Institute), Tiffanny van Lieshout (Graduate Students Association, Faculty of Science), Stephanie Bertolo (McMaster Students Union, Vice President of Education), Tasneem Warwani (McMaster Students Union, Associate Vice-President of University Affairs).
