Purposes and Methods of Student Evaluation
Consultations and Analysis
"To catch light and heat from each others thoughts" - Pater
The Faculty Commons acts as a nexus for dialogues and resources about teaching & learning
based upon the idea that when faculty openly discuss their knowledge and experiences
of working with students, the learning atmosphere of the whole campus is deeply enhanced.
Further, it is also believed that faculty can readily support and help one another,
and themselves, in their lifelong development as teachers when there is regular reflection
upon one's own teaching and when experiences of the teaching methods of other faculty
are accepted as key parts of that development.
All consultations and services are voluntary, confidential and are conducted with
high professional standards. To request any of the following services, please complete
the faculty request form, or phone the Faculty Commons at 227-7196, or stop by our
offices in Hunter Library.
Tools and Forms
Assessment Tool v2.0: On-Line Course Assessment Tool (PDF)(Please Note: The OCAT instrument contains fillable forms that may be completed on-screen and then printed)
WCU Teaching Observation Form (PDF)
Course Analysis
Faculty may request a collaborative discussion about and analysis of a particular course, from the purpose and development of the syllabus to course goals to assessing students' work. Instructional Developer, Dr. Robert Crow is available to assist faculty and graduate teaching assistants.
Faculty Commons staff will come to a class at mid-semester by invitation of the teacher and take about 30 minutes of class time with the professor not in the classroom. Students work independently and are then divided into small groups to write and discuss what is helping learning and what could be changed or added to improve learning in the course. Students' written responses (all anonymous) are transcribed and a summary of the group discussion is written, forming a confidential report that is given only to the faculty member. Small Group Analysis is voluntary, formative and confidential. We focus on facilitating student feedback for faculty who wish to obtain information from students on their learning in the course and in time for faculty who may decide to make some changes that will improve learning during the remainder of the semester. This service may also be requested for online courses. To request an SGA, contact the Faculty Commons at extension 7196 or email Robert Crow rcrow@email.wcu.edu to setup the day and time to be visited.
Purposes and Methods of Student Evaluation
The Commons staff can work with faculty in developing a course-long strategy for obtaining and evaluating student feedback that places the final, end of the course student evaluations in the context of the whole course. The Commons itself has no role in the use of summative evaluations. All of our work with you is confidential. Our Instructional Developers can assist you.Teaching Portfolios
As every discipline has its unique ways of being taught, so too is every teacher unique. The development of a Teaching Portfolio is an excellent way to reflect upon one's teaching theories and practices for formative and / or summative purposes. The Commons will work with faculty to create portfolios that best express one's teaching vision, goals, content, methods, development over time and individual contributions to our community of learning and learners. Our Instructional Developers can assist you.