EVALUATION OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

• “My parents died of this disease and one of my sisters got infected. She also died at an early age, just after she got married. The family did not accept this loss and accused another sister of witchcraft. That incident separated my family ‘till today. I think if my family had a full understanding of this disease, they should have accepted the loss”.

• “I have been affected by HIV/AIDS in a very sad way. Within my family, I have lost two aunts, four of my cousins and many friends and neighbours. Recently I found out that one of my neighbours had just died of AIDS. The saddest and most painful thing or way that HIV/AIDS affects me as we speak is that my one and only young sister (19 year-old) just disclosed her status to me, she is HIV positive. I am scared for her, but I am there to support her whenever she needs my support, emotionally and as her sister because I love her so much”.

• “This question is quite difficult, because I had an uncle who was HIV positive and he hated it. He hated women and the women who gave it to him and he was motivated to give to every single woman. I was scared of him. With or through him I also saw how our family treated him, he was not accepted”.

•  “It has put strain on my family as we are looking after an aunt’s kids that have died of HIV.”

• “I have been infected during birth".

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The information gathered (such as in the examples above) feeds my understanding of students’ prior knowledge and sensitivities and that helps me to direct and adjust my teaching and learning practices accordingly.

As one could see in the examples from the HIV counseling module; in certain contexts it is a possibility that some students might never have had direct exposure to the infection or affects of HIV/AIDS. After getting feedback from my group, it was clear, however, to see that not a mere one or two students, but many of the students registered for this module at UWC experienced infection and/or the affects of HIV/AIDS on an everyday basis. In certain classrooms it might thus not be a sensitive topic to instruct, but within the context that I taught, it was clearly a very sensitive topic to deal with for many students. Failing to realise and consider this, could be catastrophic when teaching such a module.

Furthermore, an investigation of students' prior knowledge can assist me in filling the gaps that there might be (such as myths, misconceptions, faulty information within their knowledge base) and to take into account and utilise the rich and valuable experiences and knowledge that students bring to the classroom from which I can also learn.  Learning is thus not teacher centered, but learner centered and reciprocal. In a variety of ways evaluation of learning assists me to understand how students’ backgrounds, including the socio-economic context and prior schooling, affect their learning.

Middle: How are my students doing?

I came to realise that this is a gap in my practice. I have, apart from making use of MAS to identify students at risk (students with low marks for assignments), not evaluated my teaching and learning during the duration of my courses. I aim to learn from this and implement it in the future.

End: How have my students performed and how will evaluation inform my curriculum development?

I used to make use of hard copies (anonomous evaluation forms that students had to fill out in the classroom at the end of the semester), and later on questionnaires on Ikamva, but since 2017 I started using Google Docs which is in my opinion the most effective way to evaluate my modules. Firstly, I save paper (making myself and students environmentally responsive which is one of the Graduate Attributes), I do not have to find space to store hard copies of course evaluations, and it is readily accessible and available in a summarised online form, that can be accessed easily at any time in the future as necessary. 

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Follow this link to see an example of one of my course evaluation forms on Google forms.

Evaluation by peer lecturers

I have not yet been evaluated by my peers, but since I became aware of the necessity thereof during the teaching portfolio training course, my colleague and I are planning to do so soon.  I have evaluated two of my colleagues lectures and given him verbal feedback. We both have learnt a great deal from the experience and I became aware of the valuable benefits thereof.

How I evaluate my modules and those of my discipline/programme/profession

I have never evaluated a colleague's module. I evaluate my own modules by means of communication with students (online, written and/or oral), and pass rates for assignments and exams also indicate whether outcomes were reached.

Included at the top and bottom of this particular section are examples of module statistics reports downloaded from MAS that can inform me in a variety of ways (whether an assignment did not challenge students enough, whether it was too challenging, it could indicate a need towards more classroom discussions and explanations etc.).

In order to evaluate the adequacy of my modules and the curriculum generally, I make use of student feedback. I ask myself the fundamentally important question: What is it that my students need in order to cope effectively and efficiently within their field after graduating. It is my responsibility to ensure that students are adequately equipped for the world of work and I do this by keeping up to date with what is happening in my field.

External bodies which assesses your courses and teaching 

My examination scripts are externally moderated by my colleagues and they provide me with feedback on how to improve. I came to realise during the course of the "Towards professionalisation of teaching and learning" training that this is a gap in my practice as a lecturer with regards to my course content and teaching and learning in general.

What I have learnt from students, colleagues, external and internal examiners about my own teaching practice

Mostly I derive what I learn from students and colleagues through informal conversation.

Being young and fresh in the academia, I can learn extensively from my more experienced colleagues and I do so in formal meetings or informal conversations. Whenever I am in need of direction/advice, I feel free to ask.

Students teach me the most through written and/or oral feedback. I remember at the beginning of my teaching career one of my students came to tell me that she can see I am becoming more relaxed and confident in my teaching. It is informal comments like these that I do not brush off as unimportant. I use it also to inform myself and to learn. Students often e-mail me to tell me about what my teaching and course meant to them. I have a special folder in my e-mail inbox where I keep such letters. It makes me feel that I make a difference in the lives of students, which gives me great satisfaction.

I realise, though, that I need to share, reflect and collaborate more with my colleagues, not only within my own discipline, but also inter-disciplinary. This is another form of evaluation, peer evaluation, review of curriculum across programmes and cross curriculum planning that needs to happen.

How I evaluate the extent to which my students are ready for the world of work and to be critical citizens

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During teaching and learning, such as when we deal with case studies, I can gather from class discussions whether paradigm shifts are taking place and whether students are prepared for the real world. It is in my relationship and conversations with students that I can see the change that happens since I meet them as freshman, until they eventually leave the university after a few years, as Inquiry-focused and knowledgeable scholars, critical citizens, life long learners, creative and collaborative problem solvers, skilled communicators, being Ethically, Environmentally and Socially Aware and Responsive.

Feedback from students help me to know whether or not I succeed in preparing them for the world of work, and life in general and I aim to find innovative ways to continue to improve graduate employability and critical citizenship in my discipline.

It is by means of evaluation of my courses where I can easily see where I need to adapt my approaches. It directs my teaching to a great extent and it could do the same for the institution as a whole. Curriculum developers and lecturers could plan modules on the basis of what we learn from student evaluations. My hope is that I will never again come across the same comments in the next year, after I have implimented what students mentioned in prior course evaluations.