Sample course evaluation questions for courses using HPC technology

Courtesy of the LEAD Center,

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Below is a list of sample survey questions that one might use to evaluate course impact and learning gains in a course that incorporates HPC technology. The list includes questions about student background, the impact the course had on students’ interest and confidence in certain skills, and the effectiveness of various elements of the course in promoting student learning and engagement. These questions are meant as examples of the types of questions an instructor might want to ask. Course instructors should choose only those questions that are relevant to the activities in their course and modify the wording or add questions as needed. Additional suggestions for survey questions and how to analyze them may be found at the website for the Field-tested Learning Assessment Guide (FLAG) at http://newtraditions.chem.wisc.edu/FLAG.

When using a survey to evaluate the impact of your course, it is best to administer one survey at the very beginning of the semester (within the first week of classes starting) and a second survey in the last week of classes. The more students who fill out a survey, the better, so it often helps to make the survey part of a required homework assignment. An alternative, if you are willing to take up the class time, is to have students fill out the surveys in class.

These surveys can be anonymous (and in some cases students may be more honest if their identities are concealed), but anonymity comes at a price: To get the most out of your survey analyses, you will want to match the baseline data from the first survey with the outcome data from the last survey for each student, in which case you will need a student ID# or other consistent identifier on both the first and last survey. If you can figure out a way to assign a random ID# that preserves each student’s anonymity, feel free to try, but students must remember the number they are assigned and use it on both the first and last survey. An alternative is to administer just one anonymous survey at the end of the semester (as is done with standard course evaluations), but this will not allow you to see how individual students’ attitudes, confidence, and opinions have changed over the semester, an important measure of course impact.

The questions below are grouped as follows:

· Background questions, which need only be asked on the first survey;

· Measures of interest, measures of confidence, opinions about group work, and feelings about computer technology, all of which should ideally be asked on both the first and last survey;

· Evaluations of the course and its elements and their impact on learning, which should be asked on only the last survey.

Once you have selected the questions you wish to use, replace the 0) in front of each question with a consecutive number to facilitate data analysis.

Background questions:

0) Gender: ____female ____male

0) U.S. ethnic code:

____White (Non Hispanic)

____Cambodian, Laotian, or Vietnamese whose family immigrated after 1975

____Other Asian or Pacific Islander

____American Indian or Alaskan Native

____Hispanic/Latin American

____Black/African-American

0) College rank:

___freshman ___sophomore ___junior ___senior ___special ___graduate

0) Intended major: ________________________________________________

0) Which of the following science courses have you completed in high school or college (check all that apply):

____biology ____chemistry ____physics

0) Which of the following math courses have you completed in high school or college (check all that apply):

____basic math ____algebra ____geometry ____pre-calculus/trigonometry ____calculus

0) How many hours per week will you be working at a paid job this semester?

____none ____1-5 ____6-10 ____11-15 ____16-20 ____21-30 ____31-40

0) Do you expect to have child care responsibilities this semester that will sometimes conflict with classes?

____yes ____no

Measures of interest in subject area (e.g., physics) and course activities (e.g., using the Internet):

Please circle the number that indicates your current interest level in the areas below:

interest level

Interest in…		low					high
understanding the principles of physics	10)	0	1	2	3	4	5
being able to understand advances in science	10)	0	1	2	3	4	5
pursuing a career that requires an understanding of science	10)	0	1	2	3	4	5
using the Internet as a learning tool	10)	0	1	2	3	4	5
working in groups to complete class assignments	10)	0	1	2	3	4	5
using a computer to analyze data and understand mathematical relationships	10)	0	1	2	3	4	5

Measures of confidence in abilities required by the class:

Please circle the number that represents your current confidence level in the areas below

confidence level

Confidence in your ability to...		low					high
understand [physics concepts]	20)	0	1	2	3	4	5
write about [physics concepts]	20)	0	1	2	3	4	5
explain [physics concepts] by drawing diagrams	20)	0	1	2	3	4	5
solve problems using formulas	20)	0	1	2	3	4	5
succeed in a university [physics/science] course	20)	0	1	2	3	4	5
use the Internet to retrieve information	20)	0	1	2	3	4	5
understand concepts through use of a computer model	20)	0	1	2	3	4	5

Opinions about group work:

Please circle the number that represents your degree of agreement with these statements.

Opinions about working in groups		strongly disagree					strongly agree
Working in groups has benefits over working individually.	30)	0	1	2	3	4	5
I can learn more by working with others than I can by working alone.	30)	0	1	2	3	4	5
Working in groups is often frustrating.	30)	0	1	2	3	4	5
Some people in a group always end up doing all the work, while others hardly do anything.	30)	0	1	2	3	4	5
On science homework, I prefer working in groups over working individually.	30)	0	1	2	3	4	5

Feelings about computer technology:

Please circle the number that represents your degree of agreement with these statements

Opinions about computers		strongly disagree					strongly agree
Computer programs and models are useful in helping students to understand course concepts.	40)	0	1	2	3	4	5
Teachers should make greater use of computers and computer models in the instruction of their students.	40)	0	1	2	3	4	5
Working on computers is often frustrating.	40)	0	1	2	3	4	5
The jobs I have in the future will require me to use a computer.	40)	0	1	2	3	4	5
I would enjoy having a job or career that required extensive use of a computer.	40)	0	1	2	3	4	5

Evaluations of the course:

0a) The [computer models/illustrations] that we used in this course had the following effect on my learning:

____they made it harder for me to learn

____they had no effect on my learning

____they made it somewhat easier for me to learn

____they made it much easier for me to learn

b) Please describe why you think this:

What impact did each of the following aspects of the class have on your learning?		it hurt	was of no help	helped a little	helped quite a bit	helped a great deal
reading the text	40)	0	1