EVALUATIONS
Continued from Page 1
an Instructor at Academic Learning Services
“Tliere are lots of professors who have no evaluations on file,"
Powell said. "Students who need good teachers have no wav to
find them at a great many classes at the University, espet tally lirst
year language* and required math classes
At thu end of each term, students all over campus rate the teach
ers and the courses that have occupied their time for the past do/
e.i or so weeks.
For many, it’s an opportunity to praise the inspiring leader ul a
great class. For others, it's a chance to clobber the pedant who tor
merited them with a course that shouldn't have been inflict I o;i
unrepentant felons, let alone bright college students.
When all of the evaluations for a class are gathered at the d p nt
tnent office, thov are summarized tiv ha; .1 or are sent to tin: on
pus Computing Center to be summarized I>v mat,trine
The originals are given to the 'nstfucturs after ail grade-, h i\ e
ixsen submit! i tnd i : ;r\> - • < to.ii:i-.e.- 'tile it ttia.de
determine vv her her a particular instrur'or ! iv i f ., >
• oat s true, but d ■ not the w non: s.* :
"Student evaluations are ;ust onr ueoe o: ,ie in -irurtor . m
lion." said Lorraine Davis, .me provost lor .a aitomu p- rsonrie:
They're not the only evaluation of teaching bv any mi an*."
Decisions regarding faculty retention, promotion and teuun also
are based on interviews with department heads, assessments by
other faculty members who sit in on classes, participation in re
search and other criteria, Davis said
If a student includes signed comments with the evaluation,
those, too, go into the instructor's file. Unsigned forms <un be dis
carded after the instructor rends them.
Departments arc required to send two copies of each evaluation
summary to the provost s office, according to University Assembly
legislation adopted by faculty in May 1985. When all the summar
ies are received, a member of the Student Senate is supposed to
pick them up and leave one complete copy at the Knight Library
anil another copy in the Office of Academic Advising in Oregon
Mall.
These rules were adopted In part because students seeking elec
tion to ASUO offices in 19H5 made reform of teacher evaluations a
hot campaign issue, said Nancie Fadelcy. assistant to the provost.
Previously, evaluations were available for students to read inside
each department office, but student politicians argued that such an
environment was too intimidating.
However. Fadeley said she has a complete copy of last spring's
evaluations in her office that nobody bothered to pick up The Of
fico of Academic Advising doesn’t have copies of evaluations and
hasn't had uny in quite some time, a secretary said.
In the main library's resorve/periodleals room, where students
are supposed to lie ublo to look up (last course evaluations for al
most any class offered on campus, many summaries are at best in
comprehensible and at worst, non-existent
Ono of the best examples of hurd-to-uso evaluation summaries is
in the binder for linguistics classes.
Tho binder contuins a 3-inch-thick stack of computer paper, still
bearing tho tractor printer holes at each end. And tho paper has
boon bound into the notebook by weaving a cord in and out of the
tractor holes.
Also, the sheets haven't been separated at the tops and bottoms,
so tho pages cun't even be opened.
On the positive side, students who want to read summaries of
business or dance classes, or classes in tho chemistry, psychology
or Russian departments will find clear, complete, easy-to-use Infor
mation.
But students seeking lower level classes in math or languages are
often out of luck.
Those courses are many times listed in the Time Schedule of
Classes with no instructor named. Powell said students who sign
up for these classes are often on shaky academic ground to begin
with and need good teachers most of all.
Davis said departments don't list the instructors for some classes
bocause they are taught by CTFs whose schedules are not known
until after registration. She also said that faculty members are eval
uated in nearly every cluss.
Powell said that in the past he has sent students to look for eval
uation summaries, hut they've been unable to find them. 1 hey ve
come hack with excuses like, "ASUO hasn't delivered them."
“Somebody ought to he paid to look after course evaluations and
make regular reports about instructional quality on campus,” Pow
ell said.
Davis said tho Student Senate has wrestled with this issue for
years, and it is likely there will be changes in the system again.
However, It may not matter whether evaluation summaries are
clear because most students may not care.
Mary Klein, u student worker at the service desk, next to tho shelf
where the evaluation* uro kept, said an Emerald reporter is the
only person she has seen looking at the documents in the year she
has worked there.
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