No.17 –Learners´ Evaluations
Evaluations from learners on the quality of their experiences are fundamental to quality improvement. Learners can complete the questionnaires at various stages of their learning and questions can be tailored to meet the circumstances at the time. It is essential to discuss the feedback learners provide with them as a group and to explain how the feedback they have given will be used to make improvements.
It is also important to ensure that evaluations from learners are confidential and that the feedback provided is treated maturely by teaching and management teams. Learner feedback must be used to drive improvements; otherwise there is no point in collecting it!
As with all the products in the toolkit, templates can be edited to meet local circumstances and preferences. Two styles have been deployed in this template: a ‘tick box’ approach and an ‘open space’ approach. The former may be easier to complete quickly and ensures coverage of particular issues, but it limits evaluation and those completing it may feel restricted. The latter supports more in depth reflection and evaluation, but it does require greater engagement with the process. A combination of both approaches may meet needs best and has been deployed here. The reverse of a completed form can always capture further feedback.
Please edit this template to obtain feedback on specific themes appropriate to the stage in learning or the line of enquiry you may be pursuing. There are no question numbers to support editing, although you are advised to number the questions you ask to support the evaluation of completed questionaires.
GENERAL INFORMATION______
Course of study:
Reasons for choosing the course:
Career Goal:
Education Level:
Grade/Class/Year:
Age:
What is quality in education to you?
What feedback would you like to give?
GENERAL QUALITY - INSTITUTION, LESSONS, TEACHING ______
How do you rate the general quality of your institution: please circle
very good / good / sufficient / don’t know / not so good / bad / very badComments/suggestions:
How do you rate the quality of the course you’re on: please circle
very good / good / sufficient / don’t know / not so good / bad / very badComments/suggestions:
How do you rate the teaching quality in general? please circle
very good / good / sufficient / don’t know / not so good / bad / very badComments/suggestions:
QUALITY (QUAL4T) MATERIALS/TOOLS ______
Please fill in what/which material(s) you received/ method you followed in the lesson:
For which lesson(s) was/were the material(s)/method used?
Confronted with the material(s)/method for the first time, did you understand what was meant or expected from you? Please circle YES NO
If NO: what was not clear?
Did you like the material/method? Please circleYESNO Please explain why
What was your reaction to this new material/method? Please circle
AttentiveInterested Indifferent Disinterested Bored /Tired
Comments/suggestions:
Do you think the material(s)/method is/are useful and fit your future professional needs?
Please circleYES NOPlease explain why
What part of the material(s) did you particularly NOT like and should be left out or changed in future lessons? Which ones, and why?
What parts of the material(s)/method did you particularly like and would recommend repeating? Which ones, and why?
Do you think you learned new things from the material(s)/method?
please circleYESNO
Please describe how (not)
Would you like to follow this kind of lesson again in the future?
Please circleYESNOPlease explain your answer
QUALITY SPECIFIC TO LESSONS/TEACHING/LEARNING_
Feedback on Courses
NO / LITTLE / ENOUGH / PLENTY / A LOTMETHODOLOGY / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
At the beginning of each new lesson/topic, the teacher explains the work plan and rules.
Explanations are clear.
The pace of work promotes learning.
The methods used by the teacher supports my learning.
COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS:
EVALUATION / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
The teacher usesvarious means (observation, tests, group and personal work ...) to assessmy progress and learning.
I am aware of the assessment criteria used by my teacher.
I receiveuseful guidance(individually and together) that allows me toimprove my work(correction ofhomework,quizzes, tests, work patternsin the classroom).
COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS:
LEARNING ATMOSPHERE / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
The teacher promotes peer respect
Classes have a working atmosphere and time is not wasted
The teacherfacilitateslearnerparticipation
COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS:
Feedback on Teaching
Subject/training unit: / Teacher / Trainer:not at all / a few/little / enough / completely
Do you find the methods used by the teacher / trainer (lectures, tutorials, group work, etc.) satisfactory?
Do you think the organisation of this subject has been efficient throughout?
Do you think the training tools and equipment for this subject have been appropriate?
Are you satisfied with the learning that you have acquired?
Has this subject increased your knowledge and skills?
Was the teacher / trainer attentive and available to meet your learning and personal needs?
COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS:
Feedback on Lessons
How much progress have you made during this lesson(s)?Did you understand the content of the lesson(s)?
Did you develop the skills needed?
Did you find the methods used by the teacher supported your learning process? How?
No.18 –Teachers’ Evaluations
Most vocational, education and training providers are already involved in and committed to Quality processes. With this questionnaire teachers/trainers are consulted on how much they know about these Q-activities, what tools they make use of, what their perception of the overall quality in the institution is and how they perceive the quality of their own teaching.
Please edit this template to obtain feedback on specific themes. There are no question numbers to support editing, although are advised to number the questions you ask to support the evaluation of completed questionaires.
You may prefer to use these prompts to facilitate a focus group with teachers which may result in a general discussion in which potential solutions to the issues raised can also be explored.
What do you think Quality in education means? What is QUALITY for you?
How do you rate Quality in your Institution? Please circle
Very badVery good
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10Comments
Please describe what the institution’s management/staff are doing in the field of quality.
What quality supporting materials/instruments are available in the institution and which you are familiar with?
Which of the available quality materials/instruments do you use and why?
If you do not use any of the available quality materials/instruments, please state why not.
How do you rate the quality of the institution’s curricula in general? Please circle
Very badVery good
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10Comments
How do you rate the quality of the qualification(s) in your institution in general? Please circle
If you teach on different courses or levels, you can evaluate here a maximum of 3.
Course a:
Very badVery good
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10Comments
Course b:
Very badVery good
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10Comments
Course c:
Very badVery good
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10Comments
How do your institution’s qualifications match with the demands of the labour market? Please circle
TotallyNot at all
10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1Please explain your answer
How do you rate the institution’s teaching quality in general? Please circle
Very badVery good
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10Comments
How do you rate the quality of your own team/department? Please circle
Very badVery good
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10Comments
How do you rate the quality of your own teaching? Please circle
Very badVery good
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10Comments
In your opinion, how can quality in vocational, education and training best be improved?
No.19 –Circle Time: Peer to Peer Review
This tool can be used from the very early stages of a course; later it can become a regular appointment. It helps learners to recognise and manage both their own and others' emotions and discover that group discussion, in a climate of mutual respect, is much more "comfortable". Everyone can glimpse possible and more appropriate behaviours/actions towards achieving educational objectives as well as personal and professional growth.
The tool can also be used for other groups such as teachers/trainers and/or parents. It is best used in a tutorial setting with learners rather than in subject based sessions.
How to use:
- Learners (or teachers or parents) sit in a circle, preferably only with chairs.
- If someone prefers not to participate in the discussion, however, they are invited to remain within the circle anyway.
- Ground rules for how Circle Time is to operate need to be agreed in the first session: speaking in turn; listening carefully; respecting everyone’s contributions; and maintaining confidentiality. These should be revisited at the beginning of future sessions.
- It may be useful to adopt an initiation ritual (one minute of silence or a breathing exercise to set the scene and encourage participants to relax.
- Nobody is obliged to speak, but the facilitator asks everyone to contribute in turn. This may be about a specific topic or just what is on the participant’s mind.
- The sequence of contributions in the order of the circle should be respected.
- The duration of each contribution is up to each person; the facilitator is in charge of gracefully stemming attitudes of disrespect, abuse etc
- Everybody listens carefully to all contributions: it is essential to promote listening to each other.
- The facilitator supports communication flows, enforcing the order of contributions and drawing attention back whenever the conversation veers off track. The facilitator shouldn’t impose or control communication; he/she is also a member of the group. He/she doesn’t express judgment, consent or disagreement with the content of the contributions, nor does he/she play the part of privileged speaker who provides answers.
- At the end of circle time, the facilitator summarises the ideas expressed by the group acting as a mirror to promote further reflections.
Hints and Tips:
Facilitating a group session such as this is a skilled task. Teachers may need to develop their skills in facilitating Circle Time by practising with their colleagues and starting with a group of learners with whom they are very familiar.
No. 20 – Peer Review of Learners´ Soft Skills
Peer assessment engages learners in their learning process and develops their capacity to reflect on and critically evaluate their own learning and skill development. Peer and group assessment are often undertaken together. Typically, the members of a group assess the performance of their peers in terms of their contribution to the group's work.
How to use it:
- Provide learners with a template or scoring guide in order to generate and justify assessments. Learners can use the template during peer assessment (and self-assessment) to interpret and grade their peers’ work against criteria and standards.
- This rubric should be handed out to learners before they start working on their project so that they become aware of all the expectations related to the assessment task and can evaluate not only their peers but their own work as it progresses.
- The template is just a guide and it can be discussed with learners beforehand. Once they become familiarised with the idea of the template, they can assist in the design process, thus taking more responsibility for their own learning. You can find an example of a template for soft skills below. Please edit it to suit the circumstances.
- Once learners have done the peer review, the teacher will collect all the assessments in a grid based on the skills in the template.
- You can use the completed grid to discuss performance with individuals or teams and to prompt improvements.
Hints and Tips:
- This type of peer assessment requires a level of maturity from learners and some preteaching and gradual introduction to the task may support them to approach it appropriately.
- You may wish to explore with the group how it feels to receive feedback and the impact on behaviours of different types of feedback.
- You may wish to start with a narrow range of skills and build up over time and you may choose different skills for different contexts.
- You may wish to agree some ground rules with the group and agree for every piece of negative feedback there should be something positive.
- You may wish to consider the 5 steps for giving productive feedback: create safety; be positive, be specific, be immediate, and be tough, not mean.
Team members:
SOFT SKILLS ASSESSMENT
3 / 2 / 1
Commitment / The majority of times accepts to undertake the task set / Sometimes accepts to undertake the task set / Rarely accepts to undertake the task set
Normally participates actively in the task and shows enthusiasm / Sometimes participates actively in the task and shows enthusiasm but not always / Hardly ever participates actively in the task or shows enthusiasm
Usually undertakes the task in a responsible and committed way / Sometimes (but not always) undertakes the task in a responsible way but sometimes lacks commitment / Doesn’t show commitment or take responsibility for the task
Autonomy / Almost always seems independent in undertaking tasks / Is sometimes independent in undertaking tasks / Shows difficulty in undertaking tasks independently
Frequently undertakes to help others with tasks and collaborates well / Sometimes collaborates with others and helps when asked / needed / Normally needs help from other colleagues or the teacher
Flexibility / Shows an open and positive attitude to change, valuing the proposals of others / Presents few alternatives (may be unrealistic) and doesn’t really value alternative proposals / Doesn’t offer alternatives, lets others lead or rejects alternatives from others
Usually shows decisiveness, confidence and clear ideas which lead him/her to select an adequate proposal (from among various options) in time / Sometimes, indecisive, insecure and it takes time to reach a decision; sometimes doesn’t manage to solve the problem. / Very indecisive person, insecure and unable to select an adequate alternative in time.
Conflict Resolution / Adopts opportune measures when faced with different possibilities (promotes dialogue, tries to avoid tensions, and knows when to give in…) / Sometimes adopts measures, not always adequate when faced with different possibilities. / Almost never adopts measures, not always adequate when faced with different possibilities.
Almost always helps to find satisfactory solutions for everyone / Sometimes helps to find satisfactory solutions for everyone / Rarely helps to find satisfactory solutions for everyone
Communication / Usually expresses him/herself orally clearly and in a coherent way / Sometimes expresses him/herself clearly and coherently / Rarely expresses him/herself clearly and coherently
Usually expresses him/herself in writing clearly and coherently / Sometimes expresses him/herself in writing clearly and coherently / Rarely expresses him/herself in writing clearly and coherently
Team work / Normally tries to understand others’ point of view / Sometimes tries to understand others’ point of view / Rarely tries to understand others’ point of view
Sometimes listens with respect, gives opinions and ideas, reaches agreements, respects the opinions of other team members / Sometimes listens with respect, gives opinions and ideas, reaches agreements, respects the opinions of other team members / Almost never listens with respect, gives opinions and ideas, reaches agreements, respects the opinions of other team members
Almost always plans a task in an orderly, clear way (in writing), distributes tasks and undertakes the part corresponding to him/her / Sometimes plans a task in an orderly, clear way (in writing), distributes tasks and undertakes the part corresponding to him/her / Almost never plans a task in an orderly, clear way (in writing) or distributes tasks and undertakes the part corresponding to him/her
Almost always fulfills the agreed task in the agreed time frame; brings dynamism, encourages and promotes improvements in the group meetings / Sometimes fulfills the agreed task in the agreed time frame; brings dynamism, encourages and promotes improvements in the group meetings / Almost never fulfills the agreed task in the agreed time frame; does not usually bring dynamism or encourage and promote improvements in the group meetings
Planning / Almostalways keeps hisnotebook, notes, papersand projects updated / Sometimes keeps hisnotebook, notes, papersand projects updated / Almost never keeps hisnotebook, notes, papersand projects updated
Almost always clearly knows the work done and the deadlines to be met / Sometimes clearly knows the work done and the deadlines to be met / Almost never clearly knows the work done and the deadlines to be met
Almostalways describesthe work planto develop the project, prioritising tasks and calendar / Sometimes describesthe work planto develop the project, prioritising tasks and calendar / Almost never describesthe work planto develop the project, prioritising tasks and calendar
Almost alwaysdefinesthe needsof materials and resourcesto implement the project / Sometimes definesthe needsof materials and resourcesto implement the project / Almost never definesthe needsof materials and resourcesto implement the project
Health and Safety / Usuallymeets the standards ofuse ofpersonal protective equipment / Sometimes meets the standards ofuse ofpersonal protective equipment / Almost never meets the standards ofuse ofpersonal protective equipment
Almost alwaysshowsappropriate and safe behaviourin thedevelopment of his/her work / Sometimes showsappropriate and safe behaviourin thedevelopment of his/her work / Almost never showsappropriate and safe behaviourin thedevelopment of his/her work
Usuallyseparateswaste anddeposits it inthe appropriate containers / Sometimes separateswaste anddeposits it inthe appropriate containers / Almost never separateswaste anddeposits it inthe appropriate containers
Almost alwaysshowsorderliness and cleannessin the workshop / Sometimes showsorderliness and cleannessin the workshop / Almost never showsorderliness and cleannessin the workshop
Leadership / Almost always accessible to colleagues / Sometimes accessible to colleagues / Almost never accessible to colleagues
Almost always helps to achieve the objectives and encourages team work / Sometimes helps to achieve the objectives and encourages team work / Almost never helps to achieve the objectives and encourages team work
Almost always brings dynamism, motivates and demands responsibility from colleagues / Sometimes brings dynamism, motivates and demands responsibility from colleagues / Almost never brings dynamism, motivates and demands responsibility from colleagues
Almost always encourages creativity and innovation / Sometimes encourages creativity and innovation / Almost never encourages creativity and innovation
Almost always recognises the work well done by others / Sometimes recognises the work well done by others / Almost never recognises the work well done by others