Bureau of Evaluative Studies and Testing (BEST) Multi-Op Course and Instructor Evaluations

Perhaps the most important statement on the BEST teaching evaluations is selection 107, “I learned a lot in this course.”  This statement asks students to reflect on their own learning and moves beyond general and often unhelpful statements about the course or the instructor.  Hence, I was delighted to see that 17 out of 18 students reported that they agreed or strongly agreed with that statement.  Getting students to learn a lot was my paramount goal in creating and teaching L216 and I am pleased with the results.

Numerically, I scored highest in enthusiasm (3.88 on a scale of 0-4), knowledge of the subject (3.33) and being prepared for class (3.28).  I have learned over the years, that these aspects of my teaching are consistently strong.

Weaker results relate predictably to the newness and experimental nature of the course and the consequent lack of specificity in expectations for the various assignments.  Students indicated the weak aspects by responding less enthusiastically about knowing what was expected of them (2.44), the grading procedure (2.50), the fairness in grading (2.78), and the clarity of explanations (2.83).  I believe the changes and adaptations to course assignments address the weaknesses these lower scores reveal.