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While student ratings of instruction (commonly called course evaluations) are usually seen as a form of summative evaluation of a course and an instructor, they can also be used to improve a course and an instructor’s teaching.

In the backward design process you structure student learning based upon assessments that are intentionally designed to provide evidence that students have achieved the course goals.

From Indiana University: Discussion is important to learning in all disciplines because it helps students process information rather than simply receive it. Includes: Preparing for Discussions; Problematize the Topic; Select a Discussion Format; Choose a Method to Assign Students to Groups; Choose a Debriefing Method; Problems with Discussion; Strategies for Building Discussion throughout a Class Session

Most anyone who has taught a college course more than once realizes that students' learning does not proceed in a uniformly smooth fashion. All instructors encounter bottlenecks, places where the learning of a significant number of students is blocked. We used to think these bottlenecks were simply conceptually difficult places.

From Indiana University: Learning outcomes are user-friendly statements that tell students what they will be able to do at the end of a period of time. They are measurable and quite often observable. Includes: Writing Effective Learning Outcomes; Sample Learning Outcomes; Using Learning Outcomes within Your Class; References

A rubric articulates the expectations for an assignment by listing the criteria, or what counts, and describing levels of quality from excellent to poor.

When considering how to assess student learning in a course, most instructors would agree that the ideal assessment would be one that not only assesses students’ learning; it also teaches students and improves their skills and understanding of course content.

In designing assessments or assignments for a course, instructors often think of exams or term papers, but there are many other types of assessments that may be appropriate for your course.

Interpreting student ratings of instruction can be challenging, but these guidelines and suggestions will help you extract useful information from your student ratings.

Incorporating Wikipedia into the curriculum as a collaborative environment or primary source affords students with the opportunity to develop their media literacy, improve their writing skills, and learn appropriate ways to use Wikipedia as an academic resource.