VPAA Evaluation

Dean Susan Cambell was scheduled to evaluate my EXS101 class on 10/3, but there was a miscommunication, and she showed up on 10/1/19. My students were doing presentations that day, so we rescheduled the evaluation for 10/8/19. I always get nervous when I am being evaluated and this definitely did not help my level of anxiety.

The lesson Dean Campbell observed was on Motivation and Behavior Change. The students in the class she observed are extremely quiet. It has taken a great deal of effort throughout the semester to get them to open up and share in class. While they have made great progress, Dean Campbell provided some excellent ideas for increasing engagement including providing additional job specific examples and showing comical video clips.

I am very pleased that Dean Susan Campbell acknowledged my enthusiasm, organization, rapport, and effectiveness in the classroom. I really strive to create a positive classroom environment and to plan meaningful lessons.

The two greatest take aways from the evaluation and our meeting were my questioning strategies and using names.

Dean Campbell increased my awareness by providing examples of broad questions that I used during the lesson. These questions were too open, so this quiet group of students did not attempt to answer them. I did not realize that my questions were so open-ended until our conversation, but I definitely agree with her insight. To push my students to engage in class discussions, I need to ask clear questions that encourage them to think critically. To improve on this in the future, I have been adding clear questions that promote critical thinking to my slides.

She did not include this in my evaluation, but when we were meeting, she asked me if I know my students' names. She said that based on my interactions in the classroom, she would be surprised if I didn't, but she didn't notice me using names. This really surprised me. I believe that using names is vital when building connections with students and my goal each semester is to learn all of my students names during the first week. I started reflecting on whether or not I use names and I even asked my TA. My TA assured me that I do use names, so I believe my nerves got the best of me during my evaluation. Her question definitely increased my awareness. I will make a conscious effort to always use my the names of my students in the future, even when I am nervous.

On January 28th, 2020, VPAA Scott Schulz observed my Introduction to Exercise Science class. The lesson VPAA Schulz observed was the first day of our anatomy unit which included key terms, anatomical directions, and an introduction to the planes of motion. I prepared a Powerpoint presentation, guided notes, visual demonstrations, and several hands-on activities.

VPAA Scott Shulz's feedback was really positive. He mentioned the positive classroom environment, high level of student engagement, organized lesson, teacher-student rapport, and my enthusiasm about the content. My goal is to promote learning by creating a positive classroom environment and actively engaging students in meaningful learning activities, so I pleased that he recognized these elements in my classroom.

I was very pleased VPAA Scott Schulz said, "Erika used student names throughout the class period and did a great job of connecting with each student." As I mentioned before, I believe that using the names of my students and building connections is really important. Dean Campbell increased my awareness when she asked if I typically use names, so I am happy that I used the names of my students during this evaluation when I was nervous.

During our meeting, VPAA Scott Shulz said that the students at the table where he was seated welcomed him into their group and encouraged him to participate with them. He was really impressed with my students and he credited their behavior to the positive expectations in my classroom. I think it is wonderful that my students included him and encouraged him to join their team. I honestly don't know how much credit I can take for that, but I definitely want all of my students to feel welcome and included in my classroom.

One suggestion VPAA Schulz provided was to repeat my students when they answer a question. I am very grateful for this feedback because I did not realize that it was hard for others to hear their responses. In the future, I will definitely repeat my students so that everybody has the ability to hear and learn from their answers.