> On Apr 5, 2015, at 8:59 AM, Pollak, Edward <epol...@wcupa.edu> wrote: > > And the poor dears were even "blindsided" by the prof requiring to know > things from the text that weren't even covered in lecture and which were only > available in the textbook.
It seems extremely likely that “successful completion” rates are very sensitive to a number of factors. I think it could be a valid measure of teaching effectiveness in, for example, some math and science courses—those that require students to master a set of specific skills and knowledge, especially when the department uses a nationally standardized test as a final exam (e.g., some chemistry courses) and the final grade is determined primarily by one’s score on that exam. In intro psych, of course, the material covered and the course standards vary quite a bit among instructors. I’m looking for research on this, not because I think there will be evidence supporting its validity as a measure of teaching effectiveness, but because I know that administrators look at the data and may not know how (or not want to) interpret the results appropriately. For example, I, too, require a lot of reading (at least, from the students’ viewpoint, not from mine). I have found extremely high correlations (0.60 to 0.65) between total points in my class and scores on two different tests of reading comprehension. Those correlations are not much less than the estimates of reliability of the reading tests (about 0.80 to 0.85, if I recall correctly). Because so many first-year students place into developmental (remedial) reading classes, I have the lowest successful completion rates of all five of our full-time psychology instructors. In fact, I have added a note to my class offerings next semester “strongly recommending” that students have passed at least the highest developmental-reading course we offer. But again, I would appreciate any reference to articles examining the issue of using successful completion rates to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction. Best, Jeff -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeffry Ricker, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Curriculum Vitae <http://sccpsy101.com/curriculum-vitae/> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scottsdale Community College 9000 E. Chaparral Road Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626 Office: SB-123 Phone: (480) 423-6213 Fax: (480) 423-6298 --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=43635 or send a blank email to leave-43635-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
