Fact Book
Common Data Set
Assessmsent at Macalester
Course Evaluations
Surveys
Mission
Staff
Links
Home
Institutional Research
Macalester College
1600 Grand Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55105
651-696-6411
Page maintained by
brownec at macalester dot edu
7 April 2009
Course Evaluations
Course evaluation forms are once again available through the Institutional Research Office. As in the past, use of this form is completely voluntary.
See Sample Forms: We are using two forms - a short or long version - developed by the IDEA Center in Kansas.
-
Place Your Order: If you would like to use the IDEA forms, you must contact Cheryl Browne (x6411, brownec at macalester dot edu) in the Institutional Research Office by Tuesday, November 16 with your choice of which form to use and in which courses you will use them.
-
Return the Forms by the Deadline: In order to get reports back to you in a timely manner, forms received by the Registrar by the last day of classes, Tuesday, December 15, will have reports available the second week of January . The IDEA center requires ten business days to generate reports in addition to the time required at Macalester for sorting and shipping.
Sample forms: |
Please do NOT print copies from the web to use in your classes. Instead, request them through the Institutional Research Office by calling x6411 or sending email to brownec at macalester dot edu. The .pdf versions here are only viewing copies and do not print precisely enough to be scanned. |
Resources: |
What are the benefits of using the IDEA forms?
The IDEA forms allow for more sophisticated and helpful feedback for instructors. Rather than emphasizing the instructor's teaching techniques or personality, the IDEA system focuses on student learning. Before students receive the survey, the instructor completes a short questionnaire on learning objectives that were emphasized in the course. Teaching effectiveness is then gauged by the alignment of progress that students report on each of the objectives with those objectives emphasized by the instructor. The forms also ask students to provide information about the course (amount of work, level of difficulty) and about their own investment (motivation, effort, attitude). The IDEA survey forms are the product of years of research and have been extensively tested for reliability and validity.
What forms are available?
The “long” version of the IDEA form provides detailed feedback about instructional practices, while the “short” form is more streamlined and provides more room for student comments. The IDEA Center recommends that faculty use the long form initially and at regular intervals to help provide benchmarks about their instructional skills. The short form can be used at all other times, but provides less detailed information about instructional methods in the classroom.
Can I personalize the IDEA form to my own classroom practices?The form allows for additional questions tailored to an instructor’s individual practices. These might address course specifics (such as a new approach or assignment type) or broader departmental goals .
How can students provide written comments about my course?
There is some space on both IDEA forms for written comments, but there are no specific questions that solicit written responses. You can write your own questions and have students provide written responses on a separate piece of paper. Any student written comments submitted on separate pages will be returned to you after final grades have been submitted.
How can I learn more about the IDEA forms?
You can visit the IDEA website or contact Karl Wirth (x6449; wirth at macalester dot edu ) for additional information.
5 November 2009