Evaluations
Evaluations are part of our quality management and held regularly every semester. We normally evaluate a range of different courses, in order to achieve representative evaluations of every year (BA and MA), every teacher, and every module to compare improvements.
Evaluations have been part of our education for much longer than the paper-pencil-evaluations that are now held in cooperation with the "Qualität in Studium und Lehre" (regularly since winter 2012/13). Teachers can always contact the ZEM (Zentrum für Evaluation und Methoden) to arrange individual online evaluations, and our Department has e.g. evaluated satisfaction among First Years. Due to the latter, we have now created new information sheets.
The success of the Department's individual areas were rated as very good to outstanding (!) by the Wissenschaftsrat rating in 2010/2012.
There is an evaluation project group, headed by the Studies Coordinator. Members of the Evaluationsprojektgruppe (EPG) are:
- Marthe-Siobhán Hecke, M.A., M.Ed. (Anglophone Studies)
- Prof. Dr. Marion Gymnich (Professorial Member)
- Dr. Katharina Fackler (American Studies)
- Don Lowman, MBA (Language Practice)
- Dr. Imke Lichterfeld (Studies Coordination)
- Hanna Bruns, M.A. (Linguistics)
- and the coordination English assistant Kerstin Müller, B.A (student)
We improve the evaluation forms and decide on the courses that should be evaluated each term. We also send mails to all teachers to ask them to help us improve our proceedings.
Evaluations are sent back to teachers after they have been digitalised by the ZEM (Zentrum für Evaluation und Methoden); teachers are then free to either publish the evaluations to their courses, discuss the results with students, and ponder improvements for their methodology, course content, etc.
We evaluate courses to improve studying for our students!
This does not mean that we try to make English Studies and our courses easier, but it does mean that we continuously try to improve our teaching methods.
Some of our teachers are also taking part in the BZH’s (Bonner Zentrum für Hochschullehre) scheme to achieve a teaching competency certificate in cooperation with the Netzwerk Hochschuldidaktik NRW (Zertifikat für die "Professionelle Lehrkompetenz für die Hochschule”).
Making teaching better at our department is also achieved through teacher trainings: when we evaluate, we compare results and find out where weaknesses can be detected. We therefore offered a voice class for our teachers, had a discussion on motivation for our students, and much more!
Results of evaluations can also be deduced through the teaching excellency nominations by the student body (Fachschaft Anglistik) which our project group endorses. Each winter, you nominate a lecturer for the “Mittelbau-Lehrpreis” of the Faculty of Arts. For example, in 2013, Dr. Silke Meyer won this lecturer award! In 2014, you nominated Donald Lowman. Each summer, a professor from our department is nominated, e.g. Prof. Dr. Klaus Peter Schneider in 2013 or Dr. Kautzsch in 2016. And in 2014, the professorial award was won by Prof. Dr. Marion Gymnich!
The Department recognises the importance of providing appropriate feedback to students. This should be done within the timeframes determined via the exam regulations and can be elaborated when students voice questions on feedback.
We also want to enable students to express views on their learning experiences and assessments through channels such as office hours (Fachstudienberatung), Student Course Evaluation Forms, but also via the student body (Fachschaft).
If you have questions about evaluations, please send an email to the Studies Coordination team.
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