Improvements from Class Observations

As a new instructor, I found the feedback provided from experienced instructors such as Dr. Anderson and Ron Groleau as part of my class evaluations invaluable. Below are a few examples that illustrate how I implemented the advice given to me into classroom instructions.

Student Participation

During my classroom observation conducted by Dr. Anderson in the fall of 2020, she noted that I could improve upon getting the students involved more in the class:

"Mr. Garrison did a fine job of presenting content; however, there was little engagement with the students, making it difficult to ascertain if they understood the material. Mr. Garrison may want to consider developing techniques to engage the students with the content during the course of his presentation."- Dr. Anderson, Observation from 10/9/2020

"My only suggestion at this point is remember to check for student understanding during your lectures and to look for opportunities to more actively involve students in the learning process."- Ron Groleau, Observation from 10/23/2020

This had been something that I was struggling with since moving to an online environment. Although I was giving live lectures, most students would have their cameras off, making it difficult to tell if they were understanding the material. After talking with Dr. Anderson, I began asking questions more frequently during class and having students answer using the chat in Zoom.

"Mr. Garrison checked for questions and asked additional questions to determine understanding. He walked through an example and worked a second example with the entire group. Mr. Garrison was relaxed during the observation. He used the chat feature effectively to respond to student questions."- Dr. Anderson, Observation from 3/8/21

"David presented material, modeled problems, and asked and answered questions. David explained his topics very well... Student answering of questions demonstrated an understanding of material being presented."- Ron Groleau, Observation 3/5/21