Faculty surveys offer important feedback
The IDEA survey compares the goals set by the professor against the student opinion.
Melissa Fose
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: News
"The idea is to see if the instructor's objectives for the course are the same as the objectives the students perceive by taking part in this course," Emo said.
That students should be "vision-minded," remembering that students who take the class in the future will receive the benefits of an honest evaluation, Emo said.
"Students' responses get passed on. … I would hope it would be empowering in a positive, constructive way," he said.
Students should also take the evaluations seriously; otherwise, professors do not get quality feedback, nor can they make necessary changes, Emo said.
"I know students don't like it. I know faculty don't like it, but it has a lot of useful information," said Sckrel.
The evaluations provide important feedback to professors, as well as their supervisors.
"I don't want to frame the class so I get the best evaluations; I want to frame the class so that I maximize student learning," said Emo.
He created his own student evaluation form to supplement the required IDEA survey. He encourages his students to write as many comments as they can.
"[I can] get a sense of areas where I may be struggling a little bit," Emo said.
He said he does not think that teachers ever come to the point where they feel that they have mastered their profession; teaching is an "ongoing journey," he said.
Emo recommends that professors utilize campus resources, such as the SDSU Teaching Learning Center, after they receive their IDEA reports. The center was established to support faculty and their professional development.
"If I really like or hate the teacher, then I fill it out right," said Suzanne Gluf, a first-semester nursing major.
That students should be "vision-minded," remembering that students who take the class in the future will receive the benefits of an honest evaluation, Emo said.
"Students' responses get passed on. … I would hope it would be empowering in a positive, constructive way," he said.
Students should also take the evaluations seriously; otherwise, professors do not get quality feedback, nor can they make necessary changes, Emo said.
"I know students don't like it. I know faculty don't like it, but it has a lot of useful information," said Sckrel.
The evaluations provide important feedback to professors, as well as their supervisors.
"I don't want to frame the class so I get the best evaluations; I want to frame the class so that I maximize student learning," said Emo.
He created his own student evaluation form to supplement the required IDEA survey. He encourages his students to write as many comments as they can.
"[I can] get a sense of areas where I may be struggling a little bit," Emo said.
He said he does not think that teachers ever come to the point where they feel that they have mastered their profession; teaching is an "ongoing journey," he said.
Emo recommends that professors utilize campus resources, such as the SDSU Teaching Learning Center, after they receive their IDEA reports. The center was established to support faculty and their professional development.
"If I really like or hate the teacher, then I fill it out right," said Suzanne Gluf, a first-semester nursing major.
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