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 Electronic Teaching Portfolio

Robert Morris University, Fall 2005

You can visit the course pages here.
*indicates that the score is reported to be above the mean for 4-year institutions.
+indicates reliably above the 90th percentile

(5=very effective, 1=ineffective) Math 1010 Math 1010 Math 1010 Math 2040 Math 2040
1. The instructor's explanation of course requirements. 4.00 4.19 4.38 4.30 3.91
2. The instructor's preparation for each class period. 4.36 4.50 4.38 4.35 4.13
3. The instructor's command of the subject matter. 4.43 4.13 4.24 4.17 4.17
4. The instructor's use of class time. 4.43 4.25 4.43 4.48 4.09
5. The instructor's way of summarizing or emphasizing important points in class. 4.14 4.06 4.14 4.09 3.87
Summary 1-5 4.27 4.23 4.31 4.28 4.03
6. The instructor's ability to make clear and understandable presentations. 4.29 4.00 4.05 4.17 3.39
7. The instructor's command of spoken English. 4.79 4.56 4.62 4.70 4.57
8. The instructor's use of examples or illustrations to clarify course material. 3.86 4.25 4.38 4.26 3.70
9. The instructor's use of challenging questions or problems. 3.79 4.00 4.29 4.09 3.96
10. The instructor's enthusiasm for the course material. 4.29 3.81 4.19 4.14 4.00
Summary 6-10 4.20 4.13 4.30 4.27 3.92
11. The instructor's helpfulness and responsiveness to students. 4.29 4.25 4.38 4.30 3.96
12. The instructor's respect for students. 4.43 4.56 4.43 4.61 4.35
13. The instructor's concern for student progress. 4.07 3.94 4.00 4.22 3.65
14. The availability of extra help for this class (taking into account the size of the class). 4.00 4.44 4.19 4.04 3.74
15. The instructor's willingness to listen to student questions and opinions. 4.43 4.56 4.57 4.52 4.17
Summary 11-15 4.24 4.35 4.31 4.34 3.97
16.  The information given to students about how they would be graded. 4.36 4.56 4.43 4.52 4.35
17. The clarity of exam questions. 4.21 3.88 4.14 4.04 3.83
18. The exams' coverage of important aspects of the course. 4.36 4.44 4.38 4.22 4.00
19. The instructor's comments on assignments and exams. 4.14 4.27 4.24 4.09 3.57
20. The over quality of the textbooks(s). 4.00 3.75 4.29 3.52 3.82
21. The helpfulness of assignments in understanding course material. 4.07 4.25 4.14 4.36 3.78
Summary 16-21 4.19 4.19 4.27 4.13 3.89
29. My learning increased in this course. 3.43 3.38 3.52 3.91 3.26
30. I made progress toward achieving course objectives. 3.29 3.38 3.62 3.87 3.30
31. My interest in the subject area has increased. 3.00 3.07 3.24 3.45 2.96
32. This course helped me to think independently about the subject matter. 3.14 3.56 3.67 3.82 3.04
33. This course actively involved me in what I was learning. 3.21 3.00 3.71 3.87 3.26
Summary 29-33 3.21 3.28 3.55 3.78 3.17
34. I studied and put effort into this course. 3.64 3.56 3.90 4.30 3.35
35. I was prepared for each class. 3.75 3.56 4.00 3.91 3.55
36. I was challenged by this course. 4.00 3.56 3.81 4.17 3.48
Summary 34-36 3.80 3.56 3.90 4.13 3.46
37. For my preparation and ability, the level of difficulty of this course was (5=very difficult, 1=very elementary) 3.64 3.30 3.63 3.73 3.38
38. The work load for this course in relation to other courses of equal credit was (5=much heavier, 1=much lighter) 3.07 2.99 3.32 3.39 3.22
39. For me, the pace at which the instructor covered the material during the term was (5=very fast, 1=very slow) 3.21 3.25 3.47 3.25 3.34
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) 3.50 4.00 3.90 3.96 3.50
Summary and Reflections: All my classes started out full at the beginning of the semester; I began with around 170 students between these five classes.  This really started out as pretty overwhelming, but by Thanksgiving I had lost about 20 students to withdrawal, a surprisingly large number.  Many of my algebra (Math 1010) students in particular seemed to feel it was unnecessary to attend class.  On exam dates the room would be full, and on other days, only about half the class attended regularly.  Two of my classes struggled quietly, rarely contacted me over email or visited me during office hours.  My best algebra class scored a full 10 percentage-points or more on average above my third class, and the difference in grades seemed to be directly related to their difference in attendance rates.  My algebra classes also had to deal with a new textbook, one that I found I didn't like as much as the text we'd used in the past.  The first chapter introduced many different and challenging algebra techniques all at once, making the first chapter test especially difficult and, I think, frustrating many of the students and leading to far more early withdrawals than usual.  My finite/applied calc (Math 2040) students were the exact opposite; they attended classes regularly, and by comparison did much better (not surprisingly).  I think I succeeded in managing the workload over the semester a little better than in previous semesters, but I think there are some modifications I want to make in future semesters for these courses to bring up the level of performance.  However, the finite/applied calc course continues to be challenging because of the amount of material that needs to be covered in a single semester.
(c) 2005 by Betsy McCall, all rights reserved
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last updated: 2006 February 14