The criteria listed in this document are considered by the ACC administration to be critically important to the performance of instructors in Computer Studies. The criteria are similar to those that you will be asked to consider the next time you participate in the evaluation of an instructor in Computer Studies.
The primary purpose of instructor evaluation is for you to provide information that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching skills. If you will give these criteria some thought before performing your next evaluation, your input will be more beneficial to the instructor. Remember, however, that the instructor does not receive the benefit of your evaluation until after the end of the semester. Therefore, you and the other students in your class derive no immediate benefit from suggestions that you make in conjunction with the evaluation process.
If you have specific suggestions as to how I can be more effective as your teacher, I would like very much to hear them. Those suggestions will be of more benefit to you and to the students in your class if provided directly to me, on a timely basis, outside of the evaluation process. That will make it possible for me to consider implementation of your suggestions while you are still enrolled in the course rather than after your course is complete.
Therefore, the purpose of this document is twofold:
The criteria are listed as sentence fragments in red.
Received copy of syllabus
All of my students are required to complete online orientation, which involves the reading and understanding of several online documents. One of those documents is the online course syllabus. Therefore, every student who completes the required orientation and follows that link to the online syllabus receives a copy of the syllabus and this criterion is satisfied. (Students may print the online syllabus if they desire a printed copy.)
Syllabus discussed during first week
I normally do a review of the online syllabus during the first or second class each semester, which is my way of meeting this criterion.
Purpose stated in syllabus
The syllabus contains a section entitled Course Objectives/ Learning Outcomes, which satisfies this requirement.
Course requirements stated in syllabus
The requirements for the courses that I teach are far too extensive to be stated in the syllabus alone. Therefore, I summarize the course requirements in the syllabus for each course and elaborate on those requirements in other online documents that are part of the required online orientation. That approach should meet this criterion to the satisfaction of all students.
Grading policy stated in syllabus
The grading policy is clearly stated in the syllabus and supplemented by the other documents that are included in the required online orientation. Therefore, I meet this criterion.
Oral presentations were well organized
I invest large amounts of time and effort to develop and to improve my lecture notes and classroom discussions. I try my best to use those lecture notes and discussions to present the material in a well-organized, clear, and coherent manner, and I believe that I satisfy this criterion. However, I am always open to suggestions from students regarding ways for me to improve in this area.
Professor clearly explained concepts
Again, I invest large amounts of time and effort in an attempt to develop lecture notes that will help me to explain the required concepts in a clear and coherent manner. Again also, I welcome suggestions from students as to how I can improve in this area.
Professor responsive to relevant questions
I try to be responsive in the classroom to those questions that I consider to be relevant. Not everyone will always agree as to which questions are relevant and which are not relevant. My test for relevance usually involves my opinion as to whether the question applies to the subject matter under discussion, and whether the question is at a level appropriate for the level of the course. Both are important.
Occasionally students ask questions that I do not consider to be relevant. Sometimes students ask questions that are too elementary for the level of the course, and sometimes students ask questions that are advanced beyond the level of the course. In my opinion, neither are relevant. Also sometimes students ask questions about apples when the discussion involves oranges. A question of that type is also not relevant, at that point in time, in my opinion.
In those cases where a student asks a non-relevant question, rather than to waste the time of the other students in the class, I attempt to dismiss the question in a courteous manner. Even in those cases, however, I am happy to discuss the question later with the student during the lab period or during office hours.
Therefore, I believe that I meet this criterion.
Instructor clarifies with explanation
I work very hard at explaining the concepts that I cover and discuss in the classroom. I do my best to come up with examples that help students to understand the concepts involved. Also, I attempt to ascertain that all students understand my explanations before moving on to the next concept.
I frequently solicit questions from the students in order to identify those areas that may still be cloudy. Unfortunately, if a student doesn't understand, and doesn't make me aware of a lack of understanding, I have no way of knowing that the student doesn't understand.
So long as the concepts that the students are having difficulty understanding are relevant to the course, I am willing to take as much classroom time as necessary to help the students understand all relevant concepts. Therefore, I believe that I meet this criterion.
If you don't understand something, please let me know. I will try to explain it either inside or outside the classroom Outside the classroom, I am happy to work with students on a one-on-one basis during the lab period or during office hours to help them understand all concepts that are relevant to the course. I will usually attempt to explain elementary concepts to students who don't understand them outside the classroom. Occasionally, I will attempt to explain advanced concepts outside the classroom as well but this is usually more difficult to accomplish.
Instructional activities are course related
The only instructional activities that I engage in consist of
I don't engage in field trips, group projects, or other similar activities. Given that, I believe that I meet this criterion on all counts.
Instructional materials related to course
I invest very large amounts of time and effort to develop and publish instructional material that is directly related to the courses that I teach. I frequently develop and publish new instructional materials designed to clarify concepts that may not have been as clear as I would like in the previously-published materials. I publish these new materials on my web site and make them freely available to all students. Therefore, I believe that I satisfy this criterion.
Tests/papers/other graded/returned timely
In my Java OOP course, the only items that I require the student to turn in are the twelve programming assignments. (Online Blackboard tests are graded automatically and results are provided when the student completes the test.)
Normally I have several classes turning in assignments during the same week, and I must grade the program for every student who submits an assignment. Grading programs is a very time-consuming activity.
Even at that, I am usually able to post the student's grade on Blackboard within 24 to 48 hours if the student notifies me when the assignment is submitted. I believe that this satisfies this criterion. Every student must decide what constitutes timely, but under the circumstances, I consider this to be very timely.
Tests/papers/other include clear instructions
I work very hard to make certain that the instructions for my assignments and tests are clear and understandable. This information is also included in the online orientation discussed earlier. However, there is always room for improvement in this area, and I urge all students who have specific suggestions in this area to pass them along to me. I also urge any student who may be having difficulty understanding the assignment instructions to let me know so that I can clarify the instructions for that student (and for all other students when appropriate). On the basis of this, I believe that I satisfy this criterion.
Instructor encourages student input
Several times during each class period, I solicit questions from the students. I always attempt to confirm that the students understand the concept under discussion before moving along to the next concept.
In addition, I am almost always accessible during the lab period, during office hours, and during many other hours each week. (I encourage students to visit with me in my office whenever I am there, even if the time doesn't coincide with published office hours.) I believe that I satisfy this criterion, but as before, I urge all students who have specific suggestions regarding improvement in this area to pass those suggestions along to me.
Instructor available during office hours
Except as a result of unforeseen circumstances (such as the day that I fell on the steps and broke my hand), I am almost always available during published office hours. Also, as mentioned above, I am also available during many other times as well. If I am in my office, you are invited to visit even if the current time doesn't coincide with published office hours.
Instructor provides individual instruction
Curiously, being an instructor during office hours at ACC is like being the Maytag repairman. It is usually the loneliest job in town. It is extremely rare that I am visited by students other than during the last few minutes before a class and the first few minutes after a class. I encourage students to visit with me during office hours, during lab periods, and during other times as well for the purpose of receiving individual instruction on topics that are relevant to the course in which they are enrolled. Therefore, I believe I satisfy this criterion.
The professor evaluates performance based on lab objectives
The standard procedure in this course is to assign twelve take-home assignments during each semester. All twelve assignments are provided during the first few days of the semester, and they are due to be turned in on the dates and times shown in the online syllabus. Each assignment requires the student to one program.
The assignments serve as laboratory assignments. The student is free to work on them in the lab, or at home, whichever is most convenient.
The student's final grade is based primarily on the student's performance on the twelve programming assignments and three online Blackboard tests. Therefore, I believe that I satisfy the criterion of evaluating the student's performance based on lab objectives.
Adequate instructions prior to lab
Many of my Java programming students prefer to do their programming at home. Therefore, I don't require attendance in the lab.
I consider the twelve programming assignments to constitute the laboratory programming requirements for the course. Students are free to do their programming at home or in the ACC laboratory. Furthermore, students often work on the programming assignments on different schedules. In other words, some students complete programming assignments before other students even start working on them.
I work very hard to make certain that the assignment instructions are more than adequate. However, I am always willing to discuss the requirements of a programming assignment with one student or with a group of students.
Because I believe that the programming assignments constitute the lab work for the course, and that the instructions for the programming assignments are more than adequate, I believe that I satisfy this criterion.
Lab exercises related to course objectives
There is no question in my mind that the twelve programming assignments that constitute the laboratory programming requirements for the course are properly related to the course objectives.
There is almost a one-for-one match between the programming assignments and the material that I cover or discuss in the classroom.
Therefore I believe that I satisfy this criterion.
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File: Itse2321InstrEvalCriteria.htm