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Friday, October 24,1975
University Daily Kansan
Feedback grows at KU; more changes to be made
In desk drawers and jean pockets all over
to there are little red pens that aren't
sure they've been used.
The pencils come from the Curriculum and Instruction Survey, commonly known as Feedback. And from its beginnings in 1969, Feedback has had more to worry about than students forgetting to return its pencils.
Phil McKnight, director of the Office of Instructional Resources, said his office was constantly reviewing and revising the survey. He said that many things need to be done before Feedback realized its full potential.
To begin with, he said, the diagnostic and evaluation functions of the survey need to be done.
In the past, McKnight said, Feedback has tried to diagnose teaching problems at the same time it graded a teacher's ability. Beginning in the spring, however, the two
Jim Bates
Staff Writer
functions will be separated. He said the diagnostic survey would be given before spring break so teachers would have a chance to correct faults that semester.
Robert Haralick, professor of electrical engineering and chairman of the advisory committee to McKnight's office, said Feedback would also begin to become more diversified this spring. Departments and schools should add to their own questions to the survey.
Both McKnight and Haralick said, both would spring changes would be a best minimizer.
"Right now," Haralick said, "we don't really know what Feedback's measured." Haralick said the advisory committee intended to ask the University for a sizeable grant so an interdisciplinary group could do intense research on Feedback.
The grant, Halick said, should be about $50.00.
The present Feedback, he said, is a far from perfect instrument, as evidenced by the constant criticism it receives from faculty and students. The result aren't
very scientific and couldn't be published in any reputable scientific journal.
Del Shanker, executive vice chancellor,
and intensive research of teacher eval.
"We're clearly moving to a time of more formalized evaluations," he said.
Haraldic the committee was willing to do the work if it got the necessary funds. He said that up until last year the committee had merely exchanged opinions and didn't done any real work. The committee did, but he was ready to set some things done, be said.
It is time the University spent a little money and time evaluating teaching, he said, especially if it is one of the University's top priorities.
The committee shouldn't have too much trouble getting funds. Haralick said.
Liff said many students skip class on the week when given and shortening the form. The week is reduced.
Feedback now takes about 20 minutes to complete and some students complain that it's too long. But other people say that it can be convenient questionnaire might be worthless.
Chris Illff, chairman of the Student Senate's Commission on Classroom Teaching, said the form should be shortened from 55 to 15 questions.
"Some professors practically bribe students to show up now," he said. "One chemistry professor had sample final papers, which should only be offered the day of Feedback."
Dennis Embry, former Feedback director, said 20 minutes wasn't an extensively large percentage of a semester to devote to teacher evaluation.
"If the goal of teacher evaluation is just to sort teachers into good, mediocre and bad categories," he said, "we can cut it down to five questions. But if we're trying to get better teachers, then we're going to need many more questions."
A survey with only five or 10 questions probably would result in worse rather than better.
Questions are needed that find out where an instructor's teaching needs improvement, in addition to questions to find out if an instructor is good or bad, Embry
McKnight said most faculty members
English . . .
From page one
"On a national level, however, I think education has moved 'away from the basics,' he said. "The pendulum is swinging back, though, partly as a result of community concern about basic skills."
Some KU instructors pointed to factors other than high school English instruction as possible causes for poor performance in English. They also frequently mentioned factors was television.
Another view of the relation of primary and secondary education to college student English skills was offered by Judy Freed, an associate teacher at McKinley Elementary School in the Shaw Mission School District. According to Freed, the success of special education programs in grade schools has kept many students in school who would have otherwise dropped out. These students may catch up on their studies, but abilities to graduate, but may not do quite as well as other students on the college level, she said.
According to Phil McKnight, director of the office of instructional resources, there has been no definite research on effect of television on college students and their performance on entrance test. However, research has shown that television is very children because it's not natural for them to watch TV as much as very long, he said. Also, research indicates that television viewing makes children lethargic, passive and less creative.
It is possible that children don't learn as much because of the effects of television, McKnight said, and therefore they don't have as much knowledge when they enter
college as they would have had if they didn't watched television.
McKnight also said he was curious to find out whether television viewing would bend the glasses of older people.
"By watching television, children might be conditioned to expect complete resolution of things in thirty minutes," he said. "If this is true, then could you have an interview with a person who takes more than 30 minutes. Taking the ACT takes more than 30 minutes."
Linp L capes, associate dean of the School of Education, said some research indicated that television had adverse effects, while another research indicated the opposite to be true.
"I personally think it has a big effect," Capps said. "Students want the teacher to entertain them in the way television does. This is something the teacher can't do."
However, Gown said there was no proof that television was a problem. Some shows like "Sesame Street" actually teach children to read, he said.
Helen Norwood, principal of Schweigter School in Lawrence, agreed with Gowen.
were sensitive about what students thought about them. He said that if a teacher got a bad Feedback score, he usually would try to change.
"Television isn't a major drawback," she said recently. "I think students have a broader base of knowledge because of our use of TV and computers to encourage them to read a little more."
Freed agreed that some shows like "Sesame Street" were helpful. However, she said that for children past the first or second grade, television was detrimental because children used only receptive skills instead of expressive skills.
rallick said that one of the two main criticisms of Feedback was made by students who said there were too many questions. The other criticism, he said, was from faculty members questioning the survey's validity.
Feedback was begun in 1969 by the Student Senate but was taken over by the administration last year. According to Ed Rofls, student body president, the Senate often starts programs, proves them viable and assesses them on to the administration.
"It's also used as a babysitter and has taken over many family activities," she said. "For example, parents don't read to their children as much as they used to."
The main reasons for the administration takeover, Rolfs said, were Feedback's use in deciding faculty promotion and tenure and its cost.
Embry, who was director when the Senate ran Feedback, said the administration takeover was inevitable considering the erratic nature of the Senate.
Rolfs said the Senate had spent about $40,000 on feedback in the four years it ran.
According to McKnight, the Office of Instructional Resources had a budget of $400,000.
"The Senate never has understood the continuity of problems," he said. "Student politicians want results immediately to hullf campaign promises."
Projects like the Commission on Classroom Teaching try to solve very complex problems in a short time, Embry said.
He said that lumping lecture classes, discussion classes and seminars together was one of the main problems with Feedback. He explained these issues and need different questions, he said.
McKnight said it was important to have specific questions for classes and classes with other teachers.
"We need to see a refinement of the Feedback instrument," he said.
McKnight said that Feedback should be used in coordination with other evaluation instruments. He said his office was encouraging departments to develop their own surveys and was also investigating possibilities for peer evaluation of teaching
Peer evaluation probably wouldn't mean teachers going into each other's classrooms and analyzing teaching techniques, McKnight said. Research shows teachers are bad judges of each other's teaching, he said.
Peer evaluation instead would be more concerned with things such as the course's
Haralick had that some means other than Feedback had to be used to analyze content that has been overlooked.
McKnight said he didn't accept the argument that students weren't in a position to judge their teachers. What the students perceive is important, he said.
"As far as judging what actually goes in the classroom you can't beat student feedback."
Harakic said some instructors disliked teaching evaluations. Some feel the teacher was too focused on test scores.
They think evaluation is an infringement on academic freedom, he said.
"But when it comes down to matters of promotion or tenure," he said, "some information needs to be supplied, and the teacher has to realize he isn't king."
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