Five weird things that will make you want to fill out course evaluations
Students are focussed on the finish line for exams and final projects at this time of year – so when email reminders for course evaluations start pouring in, it can be tempting to let them slide.
But taking a few short minutes to click through the online evaluations can wield a surprising amount of power on the future of teaching at U of T and on the career of a professor or TA. It’s also a way to turn a stressful time of year into one that celebrates one of the best things about U of T: teachers who go the extra mile.
Biologist Fiona Rawle, associate professor, teaching stream, from U of T Mississauga shares her perspective on the impact of those online surveys. “Students would comment on my course evals that, in large classes, they wish they had more interaction with the prof. Because of this feedback I started to do “walking office hours” wherein students can join me for hikes on campus and talk both about course content and other non-course related things.”