Student Evaluations of Teaching from last semester’s courses are set to be released around the mid-term mark. Some of you will be receiving these evaluations for the first time, while others have received them and perhaps not known what to do with this feedback. In an effort to be proactive, I have asked instructors in the Minor Program to provide their own strategies and recommendations:
Sarah Leavitt
1. Before you start reading the evaluations, make a plan. How will you cope with negative feedback? Do you have a colleague or friend you could talk to about it? The prof for that course is a great person to reach out to for a reality check and support. Talk to yourself in advance about the importance of not taking feedback personally.
2. Read evaluations during the day, not before bed. Give yourself enough time to absorb and think about the evaluations.
3. Read them through a few times to be sure you take in all the information.
4. Sort the feedback into categories as you read it, like for example:
- Non-specific positive feedback that makes me happy but is otherwise not that useful
- Constructive positive feedback that helps me identify some strengths and skills that I have, and points out specific things I did a great job on
- Negative feedback that seems mean or personal and can be set aside and not returned to
- Negative feedback that is specific and constructive, and/or that confirms something I already know I need to improve
If you find it stressful to read evaluations, you’re not alone! My guess would be that 99% of us feel the same way and the other 1% are putting on a brave face. Evaluations can include mean-spirited or unhelpful comments about your work. They can make you feel bad. However, evaluations can also be a good opportunity to see how students responded to your work. You can get some good positive feedback and ideas for further improvement.
Kevin Chong
I don’t look at my evals right after a class ends. Sometimes it will take months. Even then I look at them the way some might watch a horror movie–through their hands. While most of my evals have been nice, a few have been nasty and bruising. For me, an important part of my post-reaction is to think of the intention behind the feedback. Is it only an attempt to injure? If so, try to forget about it. But if comes from some kind of frustration, what do you have the power to alleviate? Work from there.
Taylor Brown Evans
I have found that students tend to be a lot more critical of their TAs than their Instructors. This is of course completely unfair, usually unfounded, and probably based on pretty wonky preconceptions of authority. As such, TA evaluations can sometimes end up being a venting space for students who want to complain about aspects of the course that are really not in the TAs’ control. Things such as the turn around of grades, amount of feedback, or how assignments are assessed, are really the responsibility of the Instructor.
Also (and especially in the intro-level classes), this is the first time many of the students are trying their hand at the excruciatingly vulnerable art of writing, and the first time many of them have ever had to confront critical analysis of their work. Students at this level often haven’t yet developed the tools to assess their own work impartially, and can sometimes have difficulty discerning technical critique from a personal criticism.
Because TAs are often the ones delivering this critique, they end up bearing the brunt of what is really just a sensitive backlash. Of course, this doesn’t mean we should ignore these evals — even the misguided ones carry vital clues on how to improve the course, and our communication — but I think it is important to try to remember the context of who the students are at this stage, what their frustrations may be, and to keep in mind that, unfortunately, these frustrations often land at the feet of TAs.
Sara Graefe
Processing evaluations is hard, even after years of teaching. I inevitably perseverate over a handful of negative comments without fully taking in the reams of positive ones. Make sure you’re feeling well-resourced (I wait until term is over, when I’m more rested and resilient). Talk through the comments, both negative AND positive, with a support person – a peer, faculty mentor or trusted friend or partner. Don’t beat up on yourself over negative feedback, but be honest: is this simply a mean-spirited comment that you can let go? Or does it contain a grain of truth that you can use to improve your teaching?
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Resources
Instructor: If you do decide to read the evals right away, some comments can understandably elicit strong emotions. If you find yourself upset about a particular evaluation, I encourage you to reach out to the instructor of record for the course. They may be able to provide insight, or to alleviate any unnecessary stress these comments may cause.
The Internet: These are primarily resources for instructors, but there are some useful strategies detailed
https://teaching.utoronto.ca/teaching-support/gathering-formative-feedback/interpreting-results/
TA Support: You’re most welcome to meet with John, Roquela or me.
Thank you. This is informative and comforting. It is amazing how the feeling of elation from many compliments can be quickly dissolved by a negative remark about a rubric.