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Job applications typically require "evidence of teaching." However, different applications request different types and amounts of information about your teaching experiences. These can range from a summary of teaching evaluations to a full teaching portfolio, including a teaching statement, example syllabi, evaluations, etc.
Beginning early in your TAing experience to collect and develop material on your teaching allows you to develop a strong teaching portfolio when the time comes for you to go on the market. For this reason, it is important to think about documenting your teaching from the beginning.
The different forms of teaching evaluation and evidence of teaching are discussed here.
An important aspect of teaching and learning to teach is the evaluation process. Evaluations serve two primary functions: they help the teacher learn how to improve, and they provide evidence of teaching ability. The latter becomes important when one is applying for a job.
Student evaluation forms are required at the end of every course. In addition, there are several optional forms evaluation offered by CTL and the Department. These vary in their comprehensiveness, the amount of class/section time they occupy, and the immediacy of the feedback they offer. Taking advantage of one or more of these forms of evaluation will improve your teaching and enable you to better understand your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher, as well as your particular teaching style.
Several forms of evaluation are listed here.
On Your Own
You can simply reserve a few minutes at the end of a midterm section for students to answer some questions about the course. Best is to keep it simple. One approach is to distribute scraps of paper and ask students to write on the paper what is best about sections so far, what is worst, and their level of satisfaction overall. These responses will give you an idea of how students feel about section while there's still time in the quarter to alter your approach, if necessary.
CTL Online Midterm Evaluations
With this option, CTL poses the questions to students via an online form, then provides you with a spreadsheet of responses. CTL consultation regarding the responses is available. This saves a few minutes of class time and allows for more thorough evaluation. However, there is the risk of low response rates among the students. See CTL's website for more information.
It is a good idea to ask the professor of the course to observe one of your sections during the quarter. Discussing the section with the professor afterward often yields helpful information about your teaching and suggestions for improvement. Section observation also enables the professor to write a more informed letter of recommendation about your teaching, if you request a letter from her in the future.
CTL offers DVD recording of classes, as well as an optional follow-up consultation. Seeing yourself teach will allow you to see yourself as your students do. This facilitates the critical evaluation of your teaching habits and style.
You can request a DVD recording from CTL via an online form.
In a small group evaluation, a trained evaluator from CTL comes to your class during the last 20 minutes and, after you have left, divides your students into small groups. Each group comes to a consensus on what is contributing to their learning in the class, what needs improvement, and what students themselves can do to improve the course. This process tends to focus student comments on high priority issues and helps distinguish these from outlier, or low consensus, comments. The evaluator summarizes these responses, seeking to make them as specific as possible and to resolve or clarify contradictions among groups. The results are presented to you later in a private consultation.
You can request a small group evaluation from CTL via an online form.
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