Course Evaluations

As part of Gallatin’s commitment to teaching excellence, all faculty members, full-time and part-time, are periodically observed by a member of the Gallatin full-time faculty. In addition, all new instructors are observed in their first semester. Classroom observations are an important element in Gallatin’s effort to improve teaching, to develop the skills of our faculty and to make sound decisions about hiring, tenure, promotion and reappointment. 

FOR THOSE BEING OBSERVED

Scheduling

If your course is scheduled to be observed, the faculty observer will give you at least 14 days notice and will contact you to arrange a mutually convenient date for the visit. You may want to meet beforehand to discuss the plans for the class, so the observer knows something about what you are doing.  

What to Expect

1. During the visit, the observer will sit and watch the class interactions, taking notes, but generally not actively participating.

2. Afterward, the observer will fill out a Class Observation form, in which he or she will provide a brief description of the class, noting what worked well and suggesting areas for improvement.

3. The form will then be sent to you for your signature. Your signature indicates only that you have read the report (and not necessarily agreed with it), and you are free to append your own comments to the observation.

4. Upon your request, you and the observer will have a post-observation conference. The final observation (and any comments from you) is then submitted to the Curriculum Committee Chair, who will share it with your program director.

FOR THOSE OBSERVING

Scheduling

• Contact the instructor and provide reasonable notice of the observation (at least 14 days in advance). Arrange a mutually convenient date and time.

• Look at the course syllabus before the visit, so you know the basic structure of the course. If possible, talk to the instructor to find out what he or she is planning to do during that session.

Conducting the Observation

• Arrive before the class starts and take a seat in a relatively unobtrusive place. For a class that is 75 minutes long, plan on staying the entire length of the class; for a longer class session, try to stay until the class is over, but if that is not possible, leave during a break.

• As the class progresses, take notes on what happens: how the instructor interacts with the students; how he or she structures the class sessions (lectures, discussions, small groups, exercises, videos, etc.); how he or she uses the board and other resources (handouts, overheads, etc.); how (and how many) students participate, and in what ways, and so on. This information should be included in section one of the Class Observation form.

• Also, note what you think the instructor does particularly well, as well as what the teacher might have done differently, or might need to work on. These notes will also be used to complete the Class Observation form.

Completing the Observation

• As soon as possible after the class, while the class is fresh in your memory, please type up your observation using the Class Observation form. (Please note the text boxes will automatically expand as you type). The observation report should be 1 page long, with the exception that for tenure-track faculty, the report should be 1-3 pages.

• When you have completed the observation, send a copy to the instructor. Ask the instructor to sign the observation and return it to you. The signature indicates only that he or she has read it (not necessarily agreed with it). Let the instructor know that you are available to discuss it, if the instructor wishes to do so. You may or may not revise the observation after receiving the instructor’s feedback—that’s up to you. The instructor also has the option of appending comments to your observation.

• Send the final observation (including any comments from the instructor) to the Curriculum Committee Chair, who will keep a copy for the instructor’s file and will forward a copy to the appropriate member of the Curriculum Committee.

Many faculty like to receive feedback early on in the semester by self-administering a mid-semester evaluation.  This is a great opportunity to see how your course is going in terms of the pace of assignments, student engagement with the subject, etc.

Below are some suggestions for collecting mid-semester feedback.  These suggestions include relatively open-ended questions, so that students feel free to say what is on their minds.

KEEP, START, STOP

Ask students to write down one thing they’d like you to keep doing, one thing they’d like you to start doing, and one thing they would like you to stop doing.

TWO SHORT, OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS

• What’s helpful to your learning? / What suggestions do you have for change?

• How is the course going for you? / What would help make it a better learning experience for you?

RATE THE COURSE

1. On a scale of 1-7, with 1 being low and 7 being high, how is the course going for you?

2. Why did you choose this number?

MORE OPTIONS

NYU’s Center for Faculty Advancement offers a variety of resources for instructors looking for feedback on their teaching, from do-it-yourself exercises to providing a consultant to observe your class and provide personal, confidential feedback.

Near the end of the semester, Gallatin faculty will receive instructions for students to complete course evaluation forms. Gallatin’s course evaluation process is online and available through Albert for both faculty and students.

SCHEDULING STUDENT EVALUATIONS

• The online form will only be available during the last two weeks of classes (or, for 7-week courses, the last week of classes).  The online forms are not available during final exam week.

• Faculty should complete the evaluation process during the second to final week (the penultimate week) of the semester. Faculty should include course evaluation completion on their syllabus, instructing students to bring their smart phone, tablet or laptop to class on this date in order to complete the online form. 

IN-CLASS EVALUATIONS

• To ensure high response rates, Gallatin would like students to complete the online evaluations during class time. Faculty are asked to set aside 15-20 minutes of class time at the beginning of the class session for this process. Asking students to complete evaluations at the beginning of the class instead of at the end yields more thoughtful feedback, as students are not rushing off to the next class. 

• One essential element of the procedure is that, once you have instructed students to complete the forms, you leave the room; students need to be confident that their responses will be anonymous.

EVALUATION RESULTS

• Faculty can log into the Albert Faculty Center to watch in real time as students complete the online form. You will not be able to see the results yet, but you can see what percentage of students have completed the online form.

• Instructors can see evaluation results 48 hours after all grades have been submitted. 

• Course evaluation results will be available to members of the NYU community who have access to Albert after the semester ends. Course evaluations results are also shared with members of the Curriculum Committee, curricular program directors, and the deans of the school.