Students Talk. Teachers Listen

LINKMARCH 16, 1983 NUMBETHR 23 VOLUME 17 E BCITSTUDENTS' VOICE Instructor Evaluation Forum Students talk. Teachers listen by Michael Brand evaluation (which is described in a separate article sometimes doubted whether the form was on this page, 'The Fate of Your Form'), the relevant at all. Maybe it's the form itself. What's On March 1, a small cr-iwd of instructors students agreed that it needs improvement Barry being put down on paper isn't really reflecting gathered in the Student Association Committee Mtezer, a second year Forest Products student, what's happening.' But Diane Barry, also a Room, and asked students to talk to .iiem about called for a standard anonymous evaluation form, Building student, said 'part of the success of teaching. Nine students obliged. 'because a lot of courses you'll take two. three or evaluations comes from the students.' Brian Gillespie, who is dean of 1'^° Health four terms with the same individual (and) if you She added: 'If the students are not going to take Division, was moderator of the open forum on give out a piece of foolscap and say: 'Here, tell me the time to fill out the evaluation forms the way instructor evaluation. He told the students that the what you thought,' you're not going to get they feel, and be objective in their criticisms, then forum was not an opportunity for them to criticize anything.' it's not going to do anybody any good,' their teachers. He asked the students to talk about ^Jllch Matthews, a Building student, said he From the instructors' side, Pat Thomas, the quality of teaching at BCIT, but to refrain from president of the Staff Society and an English naming particular instructors, technologies or instructor, said 'you can't nail everything down' on divisions. an evaluation form. 'None of this can be done by We're not here tonight for you to come an machines. Teaching, and learning, is a human explain why you don't like a particular faculty The fate interaction,' he said. member, or to deal with an Individual, or to deal Tfiomas asked the students if they had seen the with a department as a whole,' he said. 'Rather agreement between the Staff Society and BCIT. we're here to deal with the question of what are of agreement between the Staff Society and BCIT instructional standards, and I think the ultimate Most had not. At the suggestion of Brian Gillespie, aim is to improve the quality of instruction here.' Thomas said this part of the collective Gillespie reinforced this caution with a sign your form agreement.which explains the instructor posted on the wall near the committee room door. evaluation process, could tie published in The by Michael Brand The sign warned against identifying instructors, Link. technologies and divisions and urged all to 'please Have you ever filled out an instructor evaluation form 'Since the collective agreement outlines the deal with the question: What are instructional in class and wondered what happens to it once it leaves conditions of performance appraisal, we would your hands? standards?' appreciate direct input from representative, responsible student bodies,' he said. 'We can't However, this question was different from the According to Health dean Brian Gillespie, who chaired one Jim Armstrong had in mind when he organized the instructor evaluation forum last March 1st. you'll collect a whole bunch of student complaints and the forum. Armstrong, a second year Broadcasting have to ask your instructor or department head to lind investigate them all. But if we worked through a student and member of the student council, said out where your form goes because departments differ in responsible student body..student council, a sub• that he thought the main topic of the forum would the way they handle the torm. 'In some of them, the committee, or something..and deal with the be the present system of instructor evaluation. instructor pulls together and correlates the comments; process, and get suggestions for alterations, we 'I think part of the reason why I suggested we in other departments, some other faculty member could meet and talk about that.' gathers them up and correlates the questions and gives have this (forum) was so that we could deal with Thomas denied that the Staff Society has feedback to the instructors,' he said. the effectivemenss of instructional standards, and blocked the inclusion of a student on the Institute Not only does the way the form is handled differ Evaluation Committee, the committee that the way it's working now,' he said. 'That's how I among departments.different departments have presented it when I talked to people about coming different forms, 'Some have five-point scales, and lots of decides how instructors are evaluated. Jim to this meeting..how effective is (the instructor questions, and some have three questions where you Armstrong said that 'the Student Association has evaluation system), how should it work, how is it use your imagination, and whatever you think is made attempts to get a student on that committee, working now, where does it break down, and what appropriate, write down,' Gillespie said, 'There isn't any and we have been blocked by the Staff Society on effect is it having.' Gillespie replied that this could standard form, II varies by department.' that one.' He said the student council 'hasn't had be discussed at the forum as a separate topic. As a result, Gillespie noted, 'there is a fair amount of any response' from Thomas 'as far as getting a inconsistency' in the way the process of instructor In any case, the students gave the instructors student on it is concerned.' evaluation works, and this is one reason that the process plenty of advice about both teaching and Thomas replied; 'I question your facts. If this is is being reviewed. The process is being reviewed by the mstructor evaluation. Ray Fournier, a Psychiatric Institute Evaluation Committee, joint committee being recorded for The Link, I don't want that to go Nursing instructor and member of the Standards between the BCIT administration and the Staff Society, at least without stating that I believe that not to be Committee, jotted down the advice with a felt pen which 'reviews the instructor evaluation systems, and an accurate statement.' on huge sheets of white paper, which will be taken approves or disapproves of those systems,' The forum ended on that point. Asked about the to a full committee, put into a report and passed poor student turnout (nine out of four back to the student council Bob Allin, English department instructor and thousand) Armstrong said he guessed 'word just The advice about teaching, at the instructors' chairman of the committee said: 'Without putting didn't get out.' Rich Matthews questioned the together a torm that's going to ask leading questions, suggestions, came under Do's and Don'ts', and it timing of the forum and publicity for it, 'We what we're trying to do is get much more comprehensive included the following points: instructors should input regarding teaching, content, and other areas. So obviously heard about it, but the institute doesn't provide course outlines and clear directions, what we want is something that gives you (the student) seem to really have a particularly good method of including directions for finding sources of more opportunity..and which is more consistent across informing students,' he said, 'The set rep said information tor assignments; and they should the institute, keeping in mind that the concerns of there was a meeting, and my understanding of this relate course material to industry. ditferent departments vary broadly,' meeting is quite different from what in fact it is. I In addition, the students.who came from expected to see a lot more people here, also ' Building, Forestry, Civil and Structural At present, though, 'each department has Ihe Matthews added that the timing of the forum Engineering, and elsewhere, set out the responsibility to set up an instructor evaluation form,' 'seems a bit strange, when we're all in the middle according to Gillespie, 'And once they've worked out an characteristics of their version of a good teacher.' of projects and midterms.' The instructors' reply instructor evaluation method, they propose it to the A good teacher, they said, is well-organized, uses institute evaluation committee,' was that they had originally intended the forum to a 'building block' approach to instruction, But belore the proposed form goes lo the committee, be in January, and wanted to hold it before Spring provides regular review via quizzes or other it must have the input of students, the department head, Break methods, and does not simply read out of a book. and the colleagues ol the particular instructor tor whom Armstrong, who organized the forum from the As well, the good instructor will coordinate a the form is designed, Gillespie said this requirement is student council side, said: I guess we downplayed course from term to term, and from week to week set out In the collective agreement the Staff Society has it a little bit. But I'm not really disspointed, I think within a term. With BCIT it definitely made a difference. But instructor As for the present system of instructor evaluation has a long way to go,' Congratulations or d Mustang will he Long Distance We wish them many years of enjoyable drivingHELL. O AGAIN And thanks txD the thousands of other Sweepstakes students who participated. Be sure to enter again next September. The winner could be you! Meanwhile, good luck in your exams and keep on Long Distance saying Hello Again by Long Distance! TransCanada Telephone System It's a Racquet Raffle! Enter your name to win a squasli or racquetbali racquet! Draw to be lield on Wednesday March 16 duxi opening ceremoni \ VOTER? \\\ NOON T00^^ \S AT 12 • entry into tlie box in the S.A.

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