Last Lab: Course and Instructor Evaluation
Your last lab assignment is to write a personal confidential letter to Dean J. Buller evaluating the effectiveness of your instructor for the course. If you so choose, you may also include comments on the course, textbook and classroom, but the main focus of your letter should be on the instructor. There is no required length for the letter; anywhere between half a page and two pages should be enough for you to express your thoughts. Your letter is independent of (and not a replacement for) the official instructor evaluations administered by FAU (the bubble forms).
Content
As with any official letter (or any other kind of formal writing), be sure to use proper grammar, punctuation, style, spelling, etc. Keep in mind that you need to convince the Dean about your opinions, so you need to support your statements with concrete examples whenever possible.
Start with a well-thought out discussion of what do you think an effective teacher is. For instance, is that a teacher who gives easy exams or high grades? Share your thoughts on the meaning of university education. Why do you go to school? Do you like to be challenged or spoon-fed? How do you know you have learned a concept? How do you know you have mastered a skill? How has this course changed your views about Differential Equations, mathematics, science, and life in general?
Support your statements
Do not use meaningless, unsupported, and general statements like "Dr. Belogay was the worst (or best) instructor I've ever had" or "Dr. Belogay sucks (or rocks)!" -- such empty statements do not help your instructor improve his teaching and do not carry weight on their own with the Dean. Instead, explain why Dr. Belogay was the worst (best) teacher you ever had and give examples of things he did that made his teaching ineffective (effective). Even better, include suggestions about possible improvements and recommendations for useful features to keep.
As you can see, the point here is neither to "trash" nor to "hail" the instructor, but to be fair, precise, honest, and helpful. Try to reflect on your personal experience in the class -- did you put in as much effort as you wanted (or should have)? Why? Did your instructor provide ways to improve your performance? If yes, did you take advantage of them? Try to include constructive suggestions for improvement: What can the instructor change the next time he teaches the course? What changes would you make if you could turn back time and had to take the course all over again? What advice (or "recipe for success") can you give to students who will take this course next time?
Confidentiality and Grading
Your letter is confidential, but not anonymous -- you must sign it, address it to the Dean, and deliver it in a sealed envelope (with your name on it) to Sandy Ogden in the Dean's Office by 5 pm on Reading day (Wednesday, 4/25/2007) in order to receive full credit. Ms. Ogden will give Dr. Belogay the list of the students who have fulfilled the assignment and will be credited (that's why you need to have your name on the envelope as well) and deliver your letter to the Dean. Anonymous letters will be discarded with no credit.
Your instructor will not see the content of the letters before the final grades are submitted. Unless you explicitly request otherwise in your letter, your instructor will receive only a confidential copy of your letter with your name removed (after the grades are final).
Last Updated:
Monday, April 16, 2007 at 15:52
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Eugene Belogay