Learner Assessment of Teaching: Rating Scales
Northwestern University’s Rating System
NU's system includes multiple questions, some of which are more or less helpful in considering (a) how my learners experienced the class and (b) where I need to grow and improve. The rating scale ranges from 1.0 (very low) to 6.0 (very high). There are five particular questions that interest me most, though all questions can provide important information.
Ratings related to course content
Estimate how much you learned in this course: This rating gives me insight as to the “value add” they perceive this course to have as it relates to their learning goals.
Rate how well this course helped you to think clearly about this subject: For me, I would like to know if my learners feel that the material perhaps feels less mysterious or confusing than it did before the class - and that they have the ability to think about the material on their own. I realize I do realize I am making some mighty assumptions as I define the meaning of this question.
Rate the effectiveness of the instructor in stimulating your interest in the subject: The classes I highlight here are all required and involve content that is foundational to the program’s goals for our learners. It is possible folks are highly interested in the topic prior to taking the course, but more often than not, initial interest varies widely. I use this rating as a marker of my efficacy in crafting “buy-in” regarding essential topics in the field regardless of initial interest..
Ratings related to their experience of my teaching
Provide an overall rating of the instruction: I value this question as it (like "rate how much you have learned") is a quick assessment of the learners’ gestalt experiences with me and the class.
Rate how well the instructor displayed interest in whether students learned: This rating is of import to me as it speaks to whether or not my learners feel I care about their learning, decontextualized from how they experienced the rest of my teaching. This speaks to the learning environment, which is essential to learners' motivation and willingness to engage in messy, authentic learning.
Average Northwestern CTEC Ratings
(Most recent 5 years)
Clinical Doctorate Classes
Education & Supervision in Speech Language Pathology (CSD 564)
The course has been taught once a year since 2017.
Amount Learned: 5.80/6.00
Help in Thinking Clearly: 5.81/6.00
Stimulated Intrest around Content: 5.89/6.00
Overall Rating of Instruction: 5.85/6.00
Instructor Interest in Student Learning: 5.92/6.00
Digital Literacies in Speech Language Pathology (CSD 566)
The course has been taught once a year since 2017.
Amount Learned: 5.66/6.00
Help in Thinking Clearly: 5.69/6.00
Stimulated Intrest around Content: 5.76/6.00
Overall Rating of Instruction: 5.83/6.00
Instructor Interest in Student Learning: 5.97/6.00
Clinical Masters Classes
Clinical Speech Anatomy Physiology & Motor Control (CSD 455)
Included in these averages are ratings from a half-term version course entitled Motor Speech and Learning. I inherited this course upon arriving at NU and taught it in 2013 and 2014. The course in its current incarnation has been taught once a year since 2015.
Amount Learned: 5.12/6.00
Help in Thinking Clearly: 5.20/6.00
Stimulated Intrest around Content: 5.30/6.00
Overall Rating of Instruction: 5.30/6.00
Instructor Interest in Student Learning: 5.67/6.00
Counseling in Speech Language Pathology (CSD 460)
Included in these averages are ratings from an elective version of this course I taught in 2013. The course in its current incarnation has been taught once a year since 2016.
Amount Learned: 4.73/6.00
Help in Thinking Clearly: 5.03/6.00
Stimulated Intrest around Content: 5.39/6.00
Overall Rating of Instruction: 5.54/6.00
Instructor Interest in Student Learning: 5.83/6.00
College of DuPage’s Rating System
When I began at CoD, student assessment of teaching consisted of paper forms completed with students selecting rankings across a 5 point likert scale directly on the paper. Eventually CoD moved to a scantron-based system which yielded average ratings ranging from 1 to 9 on a variety of questions, with 9 being the best possible score.
In my 13 year tenure at College of DuPage (CoD), I taught at least two classes every term (at least 8/year on the quarter system and at least 6/year on the semester system. As such, I taught approximately 90 courses during my tenure there.
Here is a selected summary of my average total numerical ratings across various courses offered in both quarter and semester formats:
Introduction to Speech Language Pathology – 8.83/9.00
Language Disorders and Intervention across the Lifespan – 8.91/9.00
Speech Disorders and Intervention – 8.63/9.00
Introduction to Audiology – 8.77/9.00
Clinical Methods and Documentation – 8.91/9.00