Course evaluations

Detailed course evaluations may cause chagrin, but they're helpful and interesting.

Transcript

At the end of each semester I ask students to evaluate my courses. We have official course evaluation forms, but I like to ask students for very specific feedback on texts, lectures, and course activities.

Three of my lecture courses include textbooks that I've written. Feedback from students helps me revise all my texts every year.

Several years ago I began to ask questions about the best and worst chapters in my textbooks. That helps avoid answers like, It's okay. Now almost everyone writes something critical.

Sometimes the criticism is pretty humbling. For example, for my course in interpersonal communication I'd worked hard to explain game theory and apply it to conflict resolution. I'd thought my writing was clear, but several students said that was the most confusing section in the text.

Of course, it's not all bad news. Students also tell me what they appreciate most. They're pretty enthusiastic about what they like, and a few explain in detail why they like certain lessons. That kind of feedback encourages me to work harder.

Students' evaluations reveal a lot about their interests and needs. For example, my interpersonal communication text has a very practical lesson on socializing. Most of it is common-sense advice on how to be more friendly. I think that lesson is too simple. A few students agree with me, but most younger students love it. It's by far the most popular chapter in the text.

Detailed course evaluations by students may be a source of chagrin, but they're really helpful and interesting.