Evaluating Learner-Centered Teaching: Guiding Questions and Supportive Evidence

Evaluating Learner-Centered
Teaching: Guiding Questions and

Supportive Evidence
 5 areas of teaching that warrant

consideration
 4 sources of evidence
 The application to 4 dominant modes of

teaching: lecture course, laboratory class,
clinical setting, and discussion-based class.
Evidence for evaluating a faculty
member’s teaching
 Classroom observations
 Discussions with the faculty member
 Information from a teaching or course portfolio or

other documents including a self evaluation
 Information from students
 Evidence of Students’ Learning

Areas of inquiry
 An expert: content knowledge, skills,
and behaviors as they relate to
effective teaching
 The course, lab, or clinical
 Day-to-day planning
 Teaching
 Aspects of community
 Assessment of students and teaching
 Grading and feedback
Teaching
Definition
“Given the context that surrounds my

teaching practice will this teaching
action (the method, activity,
assignment or assessment) optimize
students’ opportunity to learn.”
Part One:
The Planning Process
Learning outcomes for the course that are
clear, meaningful, and measurable.
4 parts to a Learning Outcome
 Who
 When
 What will they have learned
 How will you measure their learning
Sources: Syllabus or portfolio, discussions

Syllabus
 An outline of the entire course that identifies all major
assignments, projects, tests, papers, field trips, guest
speakers etc. that students need to plan for.
 A grading system
 A set of guidelines, rules, or policies for the operation
of the class
 A list of resources students will need for the course
 Statements of teaching methods or approaches to be
used
 Statement of expectations for students roles in the
learning process
 How to get in touch with the instructor
Day-to-Day Planning
Set of objectives for each days class as
to what learning is to take place.
Examples:
Set of questions to be answered
Set of problems to be solved
An amount of knowledge to be
communicated
A set of skills to be practiced/learned
Day-to-Day Planning
 Rationale for the method selected for
instruction for the class
 Why am I lecturing?/ Why am I using teams
 Reasonable knowledge of how to use the

method in use.
 What makes an effective lecture
Day to Day Planning
 Role (s) the students will play in the
class that day
 Work in teams, make presentations
 Rationale for the students’ roles
 Why is this the best way for them to
learn this material/develop this skill?
Day to Day Planning
 Resources needed to optimize students
learning of the days material in class
 Media/Video/Digital
 Images
 Hands on Material
Plan for Outside of Class Learning
 How will the class material be
reinforced?
 Reading
 Writing/ Journals/ Summary/ Papers
 Concept mapping
 Presentation Preparation
Day to Day Planning
 Assessment of days understanding
and learning—if applicable in class or
outside of class
 How do I know they understood
 Formative Feedback
 A. asking questions
 B. writing a brief summary or other
explanation of learning
 C. Muddiest Point
Day-to-Day Planning
 Summative assessment
 A judgment or measure of what was
understood or learned
 No set time frame for this
 Quiz
 Paper
 Problems
Part Two:
Creating Community
Signs of Classroom Community
 1. Knows students names

 2. Signs that students know each other or are
comfortable working with each other.
 3. Teacher is available before and after class
for interaction with students
 4. Office hours are at times good for students
Creating Community
 5. Students have had some input to the
rules and regulations of the course
 6. Students respond when called on in class
 7. Discussions among students are

reasonably free flowing and active
 8 Electronic communication is encouraged

and response is timely
Control and Choices and
Community Building
 Evidence that students are given
some say in what and how they learn
Possible areas
 Choices in topics to investigate or
readings to undertake.
 Choices in assessments/assignments etc
 Choices in due dates or tests dates.
Rationales for the content, skills
and behaviors being taught
 Evidence that the students understand
WHY they are being asked to learn the
…
 Evidence that the students understand

how this learning (knowledge or skills)
will be helpful to them in their college
class, career or as life long learners
Part Three:
Teaching Methods
 Evidence of ability to lecture
effectively
 1.
Organized
 2.
Clear outcomes for the lecture
 3.
Includes images and other visual aids
 4.
Takes actions to prevent habituation
by students
 5. Checks to see if students are
understanding
Other Teaching Methods
 Demonstrations
 Small or large group discussion/work
sessions
 Student presentations
 Guest speaker
 Film/video
 Field Trips
 Students Teaching each Other
 In class practice/work
 One to One
Part Four:
Use of Assessment Tools
 A clear rationale for assessment
choices
 The Assessment matches the learning

objectives and outcomes
Example
 If application of knowledge was taught—
application is assessed—not synthesis or
evaluation
Part Four
Use of Assessment Tools
 Assessments allows (as is possible) for
individual student learning differences
testing/writing /presenting/ problem
solving/collaboration/working alone/in
class/take home
 Are the number of assessments enough

to paint a clear picture of what has been
learned.
Rubrics
 Rubrics are used (when appropriate)
to give clear, meaningful feedback
of work
Possible uses
 1. Students help to develop rubrics
 2. Students use rubric to self evaluate before
turning in work
 3. Students use rubrics to evaluate each others
work
Feedback
 Students’ work is graded/evaluated in
a timely manner
 Students do something with the
feedback to improve their future
work
 Early feedback is possible before work
is due to aid learning
Part Five
Grading System
 System is clear and easily understood
by the students.
 Grades are available to the students

online
Part Five:
Grading System
 System accurately reflects the kind
of learning being taught
Example of inappropriate system

 Flying an Airplane
 A in Takeoffs
 F in Landings
 Final Grade C in Flying
Teaching
 What questions do we ask?
 What evidence do we gather to

answer these questions?
 Where do we look for this evidence?

Areas of inquiry
 An expert: knowledge, skills,
behaviors
 The course, lab, or clinical
 Teaching
 Student learning
 Affective elements
 Feedback to and evaluation of students
 Feedback from students (peers?)
 Use of data to inform practice
Sources of evidence
 Multiple observations of teaching
 Department Head
 FCTL
 Colleagues
 Tenure Committee
Sources of evidence
 Conversations with the teacher
 Discussions prior to observations/What will be happening in

the classroom?
 Discussions about methods, assignments and

assessments/Why are these the best way to teach this
subject?
 Discussion about learning outcomes/What will students be

learning in this class?
Sources of evidence
 Portfolio both teaching and course
 May contain some of the following:
 Statement of teaching philosophy

 Description of teaching methods used
 Description of assessments used
 Descriptions of assignments/student learning activities used
 Course Syllabus
 Description of any innovations being tried
 Peer evaluations
 Students evaluations
 Evidence of students’ learning
 Self evaluation
 Creating Community in the Classroom
Source of Evidence
 Use of feedback—Formative,
ongoing, SAI, SGID and
Summative
 Evidence of use of formative feedback tools-- CAT’s,

SGID, informal assessments
 Evidence of the kinds of feedback students’ received on
their learning—written, conferences, electronic

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What are the main areas of inquiry when evaluating learner-centered teaching?

What are the main areas of inquiry when evaluating learner-centered teaching?

What sources of evidence can be used when evaluating learner-centered teaching?

What sources of evidence can be used when evaluating learner-centered teaching?

Evaluating Learner-Centered

Teaching: Guiding Questions and

 5 areas of teaching that warrant

 The application to 4 dominant modes of

 Discussions with the faculty member

 Information from a teaching or course portfolio or

 Information from students

 Evidence of Students’ Learning

“Given the context that surrounds my

Sources: Syllabus or portfolio, discussions

 Reasonable knowledge of how to use the

 1. Knows students names

 6. Students respond when called on in class

 7. Discussions among students are

 8 Electronic communication is encouraged

 Evidence that the students understand

 The Assessment matches the learning

 Are the number of assessments enough

 Grades are available to the students

Example of inappropriate system

 What evidence do we gather to

 Where do we look for this evidence?

 Discussions prior to observations/What will be happening in

 Discussions about methods, assignments and

 Discussion about learning outcomes/What will students be

 Statement of teaching philosophy

 Evidence of use of formative feedback tools-- CAT’s,

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