Six Factors of Course and Teaching Evaluation in a Bilingual University in Central Africa

Amin, Martin E.

doi:10.1080/02602930220138633

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Second, with respect to the tools, it is possible that a fatigue bias was introduced into the results of the evaluation of all the lessons and courses of Cohort 1. In the African context, where students are rarely asked to evaluate courses and teachers [ 27 ], a social desirability bias could also have been introduced. However, if this was the case, it would be true for all the courses and not only for the one described in this article.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Programme evaluation training for health professionals in francophone Africa: process, competence acquisition and use

et al. 2009

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BackgroundWhile evaluation is, in theory, a component of training programmes in health planning, training needs in this area remain significant. Improving health systems necessarily calls for having more professionals who are skilled in evaluation. Thus, the Université de Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and the Université de Montréal (Canada) have partnered to establish, in Burkina Faso, a master's-degree programme in population and health with a course in programme evaluation. This article describes the four-week (150-hour) course taken by two cohorts (2005–2006/2006–2007) of health professionals from 11 francophone African countries. We discuss how the course came to be, its content, its teaching processes and the master's programme results for students.MethodsThe conceptual framework was adapted from Kirkpatrick's (1996) four-level evaluation model: reaction, learning, behaviour, results. Reaction was evaluated based on a standardized questionnaire for all the master's courses and lessons. Learning and behaviour competences were assessed by means of a questionnaire (pretest/post-test, one year after) adapted from the work of Stevahn L, King JA, Ghere G, Minnema J: Establishing Essential Competencies for Program Evaluators. Am J Eval 2005, 26(1):43–59. Master's programme effects were tested by comparing the difference in mean scores between times (before, after, one year after) using pretest/post-test designs. Paired sample tests were used to compare mean scores.ResultsThe teaching is skills-based, interactive and participative. Students of the first cohort gave the evaluation course the highest score (4.4/5) for overall satisfaction among the 16 courses (3.4–4.4) in the master's programme. What they most appreciated was that the forms of evaluation were well adapted to the content and format of the learning activities. By the end of the master's programme, both cohorts of students considered that they had greatly improved their mastery of the 60 competences (p < 0.001). This level was maintained one year after completing the master's degree, except for reflective practice (p < 0.05). Those who had carried out an evaluation in the intervening 12 months reported a negative gap between their declared mastery and their actual application. However, this is only statistically significant for reflective practice (p < 0.05).ConclusionThis study shows the importance of integrating summative evaluation into the learning process. Skills-based teaching is much appreciated and well-adapted. Creating a master's programme in population and health in Africa and providing training in evaluation to high-level health professionals from many countries augurs well for scaling up the practice of evaluation in African health systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Programme evaluation training for health professionals in francophone Africa: process, competence acquisition and use

et al. 2009

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“…For their part, students take down notes and do tests and assignments in the language of their choice (FOL). Previous studies (Amin 2002;Njikong 2004) in the Cameroonian University revealed that students are hardly satisfied with instruction in their second official language (SOL). Others (ADEA/WGHE 1999;Ngwana 2002) point to the problem of language balance and similarly lack of linguistic competence in the use of SOL on the part of students and lecturers alike.…”

Section: Language and The Teaching-learning Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Integration Policies Versus Institutional Dynamics of Higher Education

Doh¹

2008

European Education

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“…However, studies by Crumbley et al (2001), Pounder (2007, Buchanan (2011) and Darwin (2012) challenge assumptions underpinning appraisals in higher education and question not only the ethics but the validity of higher education institutions' reliance on student surveys as measures of effective pedagogic practice. Some of the issues surrounding the validity and reliability of students' appraisal reported include teachers' workload, their rapport with students, grading of students' assignments (Boysne, 2008;Amin, 2002), teachers' work priorities, the nature of courses and disciplines and students' interest in the course (Rantanen, 2013). Comparatively, grading also seems to be a very important factor that affects student appraisal (Balam and Shannon, 2010).…”

Section: Student Appraisal Of Teachingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Academics’ feedback on the quality of appraisal evidence

Nair

Cai

2015

Quality Assurance in Education

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Purpose – This paper aims to explore academics’ perspectives on the quality of appraisal evidence at a Chinese university. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey with both closed items and open-ended questions was distributed among all academics at the university (n = 1,538). A total of 512 responded to the questionnaire. The closed items were initially analysed using EXCEL and SPSS; the open-ended questions were thematically analysed. Findings – The academics believed that the quality of student survey and peer observation of teaching were affected by subjectivity and the lack of understanding of appraisal. Academics also suggested that appraisals should be contextualised and the approach standardised. The study suggests the need for training that informs and engages relevant stakeholders to ensure the rigour of appraisal. Originality/value – The study raises the issue of quality assurance regarding appraisal data from the perspective of academics. It is based on the collaborative effort of academics in Australia, China and New Zealand, with the support of the management staff at the case study university. The study informs both appraisers and academics of quality assurance issues in appraisal. It also contributes to the literature, in that it initiates dialogues between communities of practices through collective questioning on the quality and mechanisms of appraisal in tertiary education.

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Six Factors of Course and Teaching Evaluation in a Bilingual University in Central Africa

Cited by 7 publications

References 9 publications

Programme evaluation training for health professionals in francophone Africa: process, competence acquisition and use

Programme evaluation training for health professionals in francophone Africa: process, competence acquisition and use

Global Integration Policies Versus Institutional Dynamics of Higher Education

Academics’ feedback on the quality of appraisal evidence

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