Chair Evaluation

Dr. Lisa Lewis observed my hybrid HES100 class on Monday, February 7th. I was extra nervous for this evaluation because it was on the same day as two field trips we were hosting. The morning field trip session did not end until 9:45 am so I had to race to the classroom to set up the activities. I was pleased that Dr. Lewis noted that my classroom was set up on time. She said, "Class was all set up 5-10 min before class started – even on a day where Erika was coordinating a visit from 80 WestMec High School students. All props were out of the cabinet and spread around the room for the day's activities (food boxes, labels, etc.). Erika had her computer on and slides pulled up and ready to go as students were coming into class."

It is very important to me to present information that is current, evidence based, and applicable to the lives of my students, so I was pleased that Dr. Lewis's comments acknowledged my efforts. She said, "Excellent! Always willing to share personal examples. Provided evidence-based material to the students. Erika does a good deal of research out of class to find current material and presents it so students can apply it to their everyday lives."

I also really appreciate her positive feedback regarding instructional strategies, student engagement, student interactions, and the way I treat my students. I have been experimenting with new strategies and techniques to enhance instruction, engage my students, and appeal to a variety of learning styles. I am grateful that Dr. Lewis was pleased with the instructional techniques I included. She said, "Multiple teaching techniques were used to target all learning styles…videos, Pear Deck slides, poll questions from student phones, pair and share, handouts. I enjoyed the variety of forms that the material was presented in. Keeps students engaged and ‘connected’ with the instructor during the lecture. With the phone polls through Pear Deck, even those quiet and hard-to-reach students can participate."

In addition to attending my class in-person, Dr. Lewis reviewed my class on Canvas. She commented on the organization and variety of instructional materials. She provided the suggestion, "Consider adding some feedback to the module quizzes to let them know you are looking over the grades and see how they are doing." This is really good advice. I send regular messages to my students in Canvas, but I do not usually comment on the quizzes that are self grading. I definitely want my students to know that I am looking at their responses and monitoring their progress, so I will provide additional feedback and comments on their quizzes in Canvas.

I feel extremely supported by my department and I am very grateful to be part of this team. I want to continue to research, learn, and try new strategies in the classroom to provide my students with a quality learning experience.

Department Chair Evaluation 2022