======= Date Modified 26 Mar 2011 19:50:33 =======
======= Date Modified 26 Mar 2011 19:43:14 =======
Last week I got some feedback forms from my stroppy first years and I am not al all happy with the results - I totted up the average for the 'are you happy with this module' ticks and it came to 60%. Some of the negative comments included 'not enough time for individual tutorials', 'make the lectures interesting right from the start so the group don't chat etc as much', 'the lecturer wouldn't give me her email address' (I am told not to by my boss who prefers them to contact him), and 'sometimes the lecturer struggles to get her point across'. I also had some good stuff, but the fact that the score was 60% has really got to me - the average score for the final, official survey in the third year for our department is about 68% - not good, but better than my latest.

I teach 90 of them at once: no seminars and no individual tutorials and they are a tough, cheeky group - they have been hard work, even for first years. And the module is hard going to teach anyway because there are so many of them and I lecture nearly every week. Sometimes I really work hard for them to understand the information I am giving them, and don't rest until they do, and I just feel so bloomin' resentful of those efforts when they don't see that as a good thing. Maybe next time I should deliver easy, simple material so there is no struggle.

The worst of it is that one student who I have helped go from 38% for her first essay to 68% gave the lowest score and said she was disatisfied with feedback! She has been disruptive all year, interupting me and being rude during lectures. It just made me want to throw the towel in... although I am over that now and realise she is only one amongst hundreds of students that I teach.

There were some useful comments in the feedback, but how much store can we really put by what first years think of teaching, they are so often a mass of confused emotions - or perhaps I am just telling myself that so that I feel better??

Blllleeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhh I wish I could write this easily for my PhD - just 550 words today. Oh well, thanks for being there to hear my rant, and doubley thank you if you actually read it. X

p.s. I've only had 16 forms back so far so maybe the average will get better, my two most difficult students handed theirs in though.

======= Date Modified 26 Mar 2011 20:00:42 =======
Hi Eska

I feel for you as something similar happened me this year. I got okay-ish feedback for a third tutorial I gave. The format was adjusted this year and tutors were told to concentrate specifically on primary research, methodology etc etc. I did this and lots of the students grumbled saying they were not been given enough direction. They definetly didn't like coming up with their own ideas for a tiny mini-project they were expected to complete. To be fair I don't think this changed format worked, regardless of the tutor. The year manager posted the feedback forms on our in-house learning system and we were supposed to get students to submit online. Like a total lemon myself and one other tutor did this :-(, with the result that only our two feedbacks are up and available for all to see. I was raging as everybody else conveniently didn't see this instruction - or pretended to not see it more like. One guy's comments actually really stung, similar to your experience. There were positive comments but I suppose it's the nature of things that we only really focus on the criticisms, not the positives. It's frustrating as when you are delivering somebody else's module your hands are really tied. I enjoy teaching undergrads but it can be frustrating. That's twice now that I have used that word but that's how I felt, totally frustrated!

Anyhow take heart because you wrote 550 more words than I did today!

Thank you Ady, I just went out for a walk as I was coming back I realised what I am feeling is frustration, so I completelyy relate to you repeating the word!

I really think shrinking budgets are not going to help this either, sometimes there is literally not time to spend with the students, and little to prepare. This is not good for the confidence though.


thanks again x

Crikey, I'd be hard pressed to give a toss about the opinion of any undergraduate, let alone first years. From being spoon fed at school they need a quick kick up the backside to understand they need to do the work, not you.

I really wouldn't let it bother you too much if you can - if you think some of the points are valid then take them on board by all means. BUt these kinds of exercises for giving feedback are usually pointless to my mind - some students will just say anything because they can.

Hey Eska! Sorry to hear you're stressed over your feedback. I know how hard it is to teach, especially with a class size of 90, although I never got student feedback specifically for my contributions to teaching. To be honest, I wouldn't worry about it too much- my sup is a fab lecturer and she always gets loads of whinging and whining on those feedback forms (usually saying that she expects them to do far too much reading and they think she's a stingy marker- she does have high standards, but she's fair). Some students these days (but not all!) just want to be spoonfed and get hacked off and resentful when they are required to work hard to get good grades, and it usually seems to be disappointment with grades that causes the most dissatisfaction amongst our students. Most of the emails I have received whilst teaching are to do with arguments over grades on coursework and exams- had they had all of their results at the time of giving feedback? It's good that you have managed to find some constructive comments amongst it all, but I bet a lot of the bad feedback is just from people who were hacked off that they didn't get the grades they wanted, or were asked to do more reading than they wanted to or something. Some undergrads seem to think that if they turn up to the lectures they should automatically be awarded a top grade. Just pick out the useful bits, take it on board, and ignore the stuff that's just sour grapes. Chin up! Best, KB

I've only ever taught masters students, so our feedback comes straight from the students' mouths so I've never experienced this. Sounds horrible!

Do bear in mind that only the people who want to complain actually bother to fill in the thing properly though and therefore the results will always be skewed.

I can only imagine this rubbish getting worse with the fee increase :-s

Thank you for your perpsective inducing responses everyone!

I remember myself at the end of the first year at uni: totally clueless, while my head was spinning like a washer on its final cycle. And I was a mature student of 26 so lordy knows what its like inside the 19 year old heads of my 'orrible lot.

Yes I fear this stuff will only get worse, what with budget cuts and student demands.

I can only really echo what the some of the other posters have said. From my limited experience of lecturing to first and second years, they only really want to get one thing out of lectures: the answers to the exam questions. Essentially, if something is not in the exam, they don't want to know. And I'm not levelling that at young students, as I've also had similar experiences with some mature students. I got told to not take things personally by other, established members of my department. After all, as has already been said, a lot of students expect to be spoon-fed, like many of them were doing their A Levels and GCSEs. They should be reminded that they are reading for a degree, and are moving from being dependent learners to independent learners. How much individual support and attention can they expect when you have to teach 90 of them at the same time? I can understand your frustration.