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B/9.7 Evaluating teaching quality |
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9.7.1 Principles 9.7.1 PrinciplesQUT is committed to providing outstanding learning environments and programs that lead to excellent outcomes for graduates, enabling them to work in, and guide, a world characterised by increasing change. QUT supports and encourages a learning environment of mutual trust, contributed to by students and academics, which includes authentic assessment of student performance and evaluation by students of aspects of their learning environment. Evaluation is the process used by academic staff to collect and use feedback on teaching, learning programs and other aspects of the learning environment from sources such as students and peers. This policy provides an evaluation framework which emphasises the use of feedback for continuous improvement within University quality assurance processes. Evaluation of teaching serves a range of quality improvement, quality assurance and reward and recognition of teaching quality purposes including:
The QUT evaluation framework avoids reliance on any single source of data by using University approved evaluation instruments together with other supplementary but not substitute forms of evaluation. Academic staff covered by this policy are encouraged to gather feedback on teaching and learning through University approved evaluation instruments, short, open-ended written response, peer review, meeting with student representative groups and customised questionnaires. Students are encouraged and supported in taking up issues directly with their teachers. This policy should be read in conjunction with the University's policy on evaluation of courses, units, teaching and student experience (see C/7.7) which outlines the current University approved evaluation instruments as well as responsibilities for implementing the evaluation framework. The University recognises that a substantial portion of QUT's learning environment comprises joint, double or cross-faculty initiatives and that evaluation practices and relevant roles and responsibilities will take account of such offerings. 9.7.2 ApplicationThis policy applies to all academic teaching staff employed on an ongoing (full-time or part-time), fixed-term or sessional basis who teach undergraduate units and postgraduate coursework units. 9.7.3 Student evaluation of teachingStudent evaluation of teaching is an important part of the University's approach to the continuous improvement of and support for good teaching. Feedback on teaching can be collected using a range of methods including University approved student evaluation surveys and other supplementary methods of evaluation (eg customised surveys, focus groups, peer review, moderation of student learning outcomes with tutors). These are not substitutes for the approved University-wide surveys. In relation to the evaluation of teaching, students will be invited each teaching period to evaluate their units and their teachers through a unit based survey instrument. The University approved survey for this purpose is the Learning Experience Survey (LEX). The executive dean of faculty or nominee is responsible for identifying the units and teachers to be evaluated in each teaching period to ensure that all units offered and the associated QUT staff are evaluated in accordance with policy C/7.7. Executive deans may, in special circumstances, authorise individual teachers to be exempt from the evaluation process, for example an invited guest speaker giving a lecture or lectures, or a practitioner in an off-campus clinical setting. Additional feedback on teaching may also be provided through other University approved survey instruments as detailed in policy C/7.7. 9.7.4 Outcomes of evaluationsConsistent with the principle that no single source of feedback should be relied upon when drawing inferences about the teaching, units or courses, multiple sources of data should be sought where possible to ensure that the interpretation of data is valid. Individual staff members are responsible for analysing and interpreting the range of feedback available, determining action and planning improvements in response to feedback appropriate to their roles and responsibilities in policy C/7.7. Unit and course coordinators are responsible for reflecting on unit and course feedback and communicating with students about their responses to feedback via the Week One Unit Information document, and other appropriate unit and course information. Results of the evaluations of a unit are provided to the unit coordinator, their supervisor, relevant course coordinators, the head of school and the executive dean of faculty and other University and faculty managers as appropriate. Results of the evaluation of teaching are provided to the relevant academic staff member, their supervisor, relevant unit and course coordinators, the head of school, the executive dean of faculty and other University and faculty managers as appropriate. The evaluation feedback, planned responses and/or outcomes of improvements made, as well as the reporting of responses to students, will be discussed between the academic staff member and the supervisor as part of the staff member's PPR discussions and as part of unit and course review discussions. Where there are joint, double or cross-faculty course and unit offerings, the discussions in relation to evaluation feedback will necessarily involve discussions across the relevant organisational areas. Teaching and Learning Support Services (TALSS) supports staff in the analysis and interpretation of feedback and in the determination and implementation of appropriate responses to student evaluation.Related DocumentsMOPP B/9.2 Performance planning and review for academic staff MOPP C/7.7 Evaluation of courses, units, teaching and student experience MOPP C/7.8 QUT Teaching Capabilities Framework MOPP C/7.10 Unit outlines Modification History
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