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Electronic Teaching Portfolio

Robert Morris University, Fall 2004

You can visit the course pages here.
*indicates that the score is reported to be above the mean for 4-year institutions.

(5=very effective, 1=ineffective) Math 1010 Math 1010 Math 1050 Math 1050 Math 1050
1. The instructor's explanation of course requirements. 4.5 4.5 3.72 4.04 3.26
2. The instructor's preparation for each class period. 4.57 4.5 3.72 4.04 3.52
3. The instructor's command of the subject matter. 4.64 4.6 3.4 3.96 3.22
4. The instructor's use of class time. 4.5 4.4 3.72 4.00 3.78
5. The instructor's way of summarizing or emphasizing important points in class. 4.36 4.2 3.48 3.92 3.39
Summary 1-5 4.51* 4.44* 3.61 3.99 3.43
6. The instructor's ability to make clear and understandable presentations. 4.29 3.9 3.28 3.75 2.91
7. The instructor's command of spoken English. 4.86 4.3 4.32 4.39 4.22
8. The instructor's use of examples or illustrations to clarify course material. 4.43 4.2 3.38 4.04 3.17
9. The instructor's use of challenging questions or problems. 4.36 4.2 3.48 3.83 3.30
10. The instructor's enthusiasm for the course material. 4.79 4.2 3.8 3.96 3.87
Summary 6-10 4.54* 4.16 3.65 3.99 3.50
11. The instructor's helpfulness and responsiveness to students. 4.64 4.3 3.76 3.96 3.65
12. The instructor's respect for students. 4.86 4.2 3.96 4.43 3.96
13. The instructor's concern for student progress. 4.5 4.1 3.56 4.17 3.7
14. The availability of extra help for this class (taking into account the size of the class). 4.57 4.4 3.52 4.29 3.7
15. The instructor's willingness to listen to student questions and opinions. 4.71 4.4 3.84 4.39 3.78
Summary 11-15 4.66* 4.28* 3.73 4.25 3.76
16.  The information given to students about how they would be graded. 4.71 4.1 3.8 4.13 3.96
17. The clarity of exam questions. 4.57 4.3 3.6 4.08 3.7
18. The exams' coverage of important aspects of the course. 4.5 4.5 3.6 4.25 3.52
19. The instructor's comments on assignments and exams. 4.64 4.1 3.5 4.19 3.57
20. The over quality of the textbooks(s). 4.0 3.9 3.84 4.13 3.74
21. The helpfulness of assignments in understanding course material. 4.36 4.1 3.4 4.13 3.43
Summary 16-21 4.46* 4.17* 3.62 4.15* 3.65
29. My learning increased in this course. 3.36 3.5 2.64 3.5 2.7
30. I made progress toward achieving course objectives. 3.36 3.5 2.84 3.39 2.74
31. My interest in the subject area has increased. 3.0 3.2 2.16 3.04 2.22
32. This course helped me to think independently about the subject matter. 3.21 3.4 2.68 3.22 2.52
33. This course actively involved me in what I was learning. 3.14 3.4 2.56 3.26 2.41
Summary 29-33 3.21 3.4 2.58 3.28 2.52
34. I studied and put effort into this course. 3.79 4.0 3.36 3.83 3.26
35. I was prepared for each class. 3.69 3.7 3.25 3.82 3.26
36. I was challenged by this course. 3.5 3.7 3.68 4.08 3.39
Summary 34-36 3.66* 3.8* 3.43 3.91* 3.3
37. For my preparation and ability, the level of difficulty of this course was (5=very difficult, 1=very elementary) 3.5 3.3 3.52 3.42 3.6
38. The work load for this course in relation to other courses of equal credit was (5=much heavier, 1=much lighter) 3.21 3.1 3.16 3.39 3.26
39. For me, the pace at which the instructor covered the material during the term was (5=very fast, 1=very slow) 3.29 3.1 3.0 3.14 3.39
40. Rate the quality of the instruction in this course as it contributed to your learning (try to set aside your feelings about the course content). (5=very effective, 1=ineffective) 4.07* 3.7 3.00 3.7 3.00
Summary and Reflections: The university did not provide students with a place to write comments, or at least, I didn't get any back, so there are none I can post here.  The algebra classes (Math 1010) went well, and the numbers clearly reflect that.  The Math 1050 (Mathematical Reasoning) courses did not go as well.  One of the classes evaluated me significantly better than the other two.  In part, I think this was a reflection of the make-up of students.  In part this is also due to the fact that I had never taught, or even tutored for, a course like this one before, and so for two of the sections, for at least half of each week, they were getting lecture material that, while I had prepared it, I had never actually tried to teach before.  I often found that I would make some false starts the first time around, only to have them be corrected in subsequent lectures.  I think that any future attempts to teach this type of course would produce better results for having been through this experience.
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last updated: 2005 March 29