| Session Title: Document Analysis: An Inductive Approach to Determine What End-of-Course Evaluations Measure |
| Demonstration Session 436 to be held in Monterey on Thursday, Nov 3, 2:50 PM to 4:20 PM |
| Sponsored by the Assessment in Higher Education TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Jacqueline Singh, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, jhsingh@iupui.edu |
| Ingrid Ritchie, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, iritchie@iupui.edu |
| Randi Stocker, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, rstocker@iupui.edu |
| Abstract: The original purpose of end-of-course evaluation was to provide formative feedback to faculty. However, as the focus shifted to inform decisions about instructors' performance, questions have been raised about the adequacy of end-of-course evaluation instruments for summative purposes. For this session, a seven-step approach to document analysis that analyzes textual information is demonstrated. Document analysis teases out what is missed in course evaluation instruments when we do not holistically account for what is evaluated. It makes explicit the measurement foci of survey items; identifies concepts, constructs, and criteria embedded within these instruments; documents the presence or absence of what is "valued;" and determines whether or not a coherent survey design is evident. Document analysis is useful in all types of evaluation. It is an inductive approach that higher education can leverage to gather facts and think through strategic data sources for summative decision-making. |