Discussion: View Thread

Charlie wrote:
I would like to hear from other MG-ED-DVers about tools and techniques
that you are using to improve
your courses. Give us a description that includes both successes and
snafus.

Emil Zahner <75114.11@CompuServe.COM> responded:
Asking the right questions might be the fundamental thing: I 'll
listen!!

I teach an undergrad management course, around 250+ students. I
recently used an idea I picked up from a local training company
(Champagne Consultants), who probably picked it up from somewhere
else....!

At the beginning of class I handed out sheets of paper (half A4 size)
with three boxes for providing open-ended responses. The boxes were
labelled 'Start', 'Stop' and 'Continue':

START: Things you would like me to start doing, perhaps based on what
you've done in other courses or institutions

STOP: Things you would like me to stop doing, things which interfere
with your learning, or you feel are not a good use of course time

CONTINUE: Things you would like me to continue doing, because they
improve your understanding, motivation, or enjoyment.

In handing them out, I asked for comments on any aspect of course
organisation - me, my lectures, format of assessment, text, case
studies, tests and assignments etc. I gave them around 10 minutes to
complete them, then got them back in before continuing with the
class.

I got a very good response; the narrative format meant it took me
some time to sift through, sort comments into headings, etc, but the
information was great. The 'Continue' section meant that I got some
positive feedback about things I was doing right, which is good for
the ego, and gives energy to tackle the things I need to set right.

I have already made a number of changes as a result of the feedback.
I'm not going to implement all of the suggestions (mix of
pedagogical and resource constraint reasons), but I can now explain
to the class why things are the way they are in those particular
areas.


--
Jeff Kennedy Phone: 64-3-325 2811
Economics & Marketing Department Fax: 64-3-325 3847
P.O. Box 84 E-mail: KENNEDJ@LINCOLN.AC.NZ
Lincoln University Canterbury
NEW ZEALAND

Jeff

I like your idea. It is a better variation on what I do. at the midway
point I ask my students to tell me what is going right and what needs to be
changed. Like you I found that students would be very complimentary but
that there were some things that needed to be changed. Like you, some I
could change and others I could not but could at least now explain why. I
like your format better and will start to use it. Thanks for sharing. BTW,
I do this with my graduate and U/G courses

Glenn

At 03:57 PM 4/17/97 +1200, you wrote:
>I teach an undergrad management course, around 250+ students. I
>recently used an idea I picked up from a local training company
>(Champagne Consultants), who probably picked it up from somewhere
>else....!
>
>At the beginning of class I handed out sheets of paper (half A4 size)
>with three boxes for providing open-ended responses. The boxes were
>labelled 'Start', 'Stop' and 'Continue':
>
>START: Things you would like me to start doing, perhaps based on what
>you've done in other courses or institutions
>
>STOP: Things you would like me to stop doing, things which interfere
>with your learning, or you feel are not a good use of course time
>
>CONTINUE: Things you would like me to continue doing, because they
>improve your understanding, motivation, or enjoyment.
>
>In handing them out, I asked for comments on any aspect of course
>organisation - me, my lectures, format of assessment, text, case
>studies, tests and assignments etc. I gave them around 10 minutes to
>complete them, then got them back in before continuing with the
>class.
>
>I got a very good response; the narrative format meant it took me
>some time to sift through, sort comments into headings, etc, but the
>information was great. The 'Continue' section meant that I got some
>positive feedback about things I was doing right, which is good for
>the ego, and gives energy to tackle the things I need to set right.
>
>I have already made a number of changes as a result of the feedback.
>I'm not going to implement all of the suggestions (mix of
>pedagogical and resource constraint reasons), but I can now explain
>to the class why things are the way they are in those particular
>areas.
>
>
>--
>Jeff Kennedy Phone: 64-3-325 2811
>Economics & Marketing Department Fax: 64-3-325 3847
>P.O. Box 84 E-mail: KENNEDJ@LINCOLN.AC.NZ
>Lincoln University Canterbury
>NEW ZEALAND
>
>

W. Glenn Rowe
Faculty of Business Administration
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NF, Canada, A1B 3X5
709 737 4363
709 737 7999 (Fax)

ASAC 97 is being held in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada from May 31 to
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join us at ASAC 97 and help us celebrate the 500th anniversary of the
arrival of John Cabot to Newfoundland in 1497.

Thank you to Jeff Kennedy for his suggestion on feedback partway through a
course. I will try it.

I would like to offer another similar idea that I obtained from Dr. Merrill
Ewert in the Education Department here at Cornell: Hand out a 3" by 5"
card. Ask each student to write "love" on one side and "hate" on the
other. Then ask them to turn to the "love" side and write what they love
most about the course. Then ask them to turn to the "hate" side and write
what they most hate, dislike or think needs improvement. It sounds a bit
corny but I have learned a great deal in the two times I have used it. It
seems to motivate students to be open and forthright.

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Jeff and netfriends:

The Stop, Start, Continue has been around for at least twenty years, and may
come from the Pfeiffer Annuals or from the old days of NTL.

Couple of questions: How do students know what to answer if you hand these
out at the beginning of a course, or don't I understand you correctly? Have
you found that including "Stop" may create unreasonable expectations, which,
when not met lead to cynacism?

Another reason for the "Continue" box is that very often, lacking any
feedback that what we are currently doing is valuable, in the normal course
of doing business we may change what we do or the way we do it. That change
may be very disruptive to our customers, so knowing what is valuable to them
can be very important.

Cheers,

Duane

Duane C. Tway, Ph.D., "The Trust Doctor"
Consultants for Organization Response and Effectiveness (C.O.R.E.)
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Ph 520 721-6642
Fx 520 721-1398
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