An evaluation of the responses to my e-mail message on lis-link.

Evaluation of teaching methods.

In early April I posted a message on LIS-LINK . The majority came from Higher Education although colleagues active in teaching in Further Education, a Sixth Form College, a public library and a hospital also responded. Thanks to everyone who took the trouble to reply and for contributing their input into the process. The results demonstrate some of the ways teaching can be developed. I hope you find the information helpful
Please contact me if you would like to discuss this further.

Chris Martindale
Subject Advisor Derbyshire Business School
University of Derby
01332-591212
[log in to unmask] 


The tools employed to assess teaching were;

Student evaluation.

· A minority of respondents attempted to evaluate all the teaching sessions.

· Where evaluation occurred, a student questionnaire was the method most frequently used although in many cases it's adoption was the decision of the professional leading the class.
Comment " I also very occasionally get feedback through the faculty monitoring and evaluation process"

· In one case an informal assessment took place of student groups who had received instruction to assess their use of the resources.

Sharing teaching resources

· One organisation encouraged the sharing of teaching resources between practitioners.

Peer Group Reflection

· "Reflection Meetings" for Peer Groups were encouraged by three organisations and met either every 6 months, or annually to plan ahead. In another three organisations professionals from their own initiative attempted to discuss their reflections. On occasions an "outside" speaker was invited. 
Comment "Subject Librarians are encouraged to keep a record of the number of sessions. This can be a useful tool for future changes for next time"

Departmental staff development.

· Two organisations had initiated some informal peer group learning of teaching skills.

Peer Group Observation

· Two organisations have begun peer group observations. One individual elsewhere commented that despite planning this the professionals involved hadn't been able to arrange a time to be observed or to observe. Another respondent said that there had been a lack of time in the Curriculum for arranging an observation.
Comment
"The peer observation is excellent for getting new ideas that I wouldn't have thought of myself."
"I've found it a very useful way of picking up on different examples of explaining things" 

· Teaching diaries & self reflection

One individual had actually taken the trouble to write a teaching/learning log so they were able to record their frustrations and triumphs.
Comment
"I like to write my reflections soon after the session and note things I would like to change next time"


· Observation from academic staff

At least three respondents enlisted the support of full time teaching staff to observe their work and underpin their sessions. They valued the response of these
Practitioners to improving their work.

· A culture of improvement

Comment
"One of the Library's aims has been to increase the amount of teaching we do, improve it and integrate it into departmental teaching. This means everyone understands that it is a priority and individuals are encouraged to pursue methods that suit their teaching style"

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