European Journal of Education and Learning, Vol.3, 2007 ISSN(paper)2668-3318 ISSN(online)2668-361X www.BellPress.org
Aptitude, Performance Evaluation of A Teacher And 360 Degree Feedback Vibha Tripathi ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: 6, Siddhivinayak Appartment, Nr. Opera Upashray, Opp. Vikas Gruh Paldi, Ahmedabad -380007.
“A teacher affects eternity, he can never tell where his influence stops” –Henry Adams Abstract The education system in India is rapidly changing. Since a decade, the technological revolution has made it more challenging for the Indian institutes to acquire good teachers. In such a scenario, we need more innovative & techno savvy teachers who can guide the students in the right direction. The current situation also poses an important question: Will the new generation perceive the teacher with the same respect as we did? The contemporary teacher has to match degree with the aptitude to earn respect from the students. The paper throws light on the recruitment and evaluation system of a teacher in an educational institute. The paper also questions on the sustainability of the teachers in the 21st century? The paper puts forward certain suggestions for knowing the actual aptitude and potential of a teacher. It also highlights the implementation of 360 degree feedback system pertaining to the performance evaluation of an employee. The paper concludes on the positive changes in the education sector in the 21st century. Key Words: Education, evaluation, aptitude, 360 degree feedback 1. INTRODUCTION The respect for the teachers is slowly deteriorating as people without the right aptitude join the academics. The word aptitude pertains to everyone, starting from ancillary staff to a CEO of the company. It is challenging to sustain in the competitive world if one does not have the aptitude for a particular field. In the last decade, the education sector has seen the biggest transformation of eradicating the marks system and introducing the grade system for students. If we see the recruitment system of teachers in India, a uniform pattern is not followed by all the institutes. In most of the schools or colleges, teachers are appointed on the basis of three parameters: 1. Educational qualifications 2. Experience (some good institutes also appoint fresh candidates as assistant teachers) 3. Interview by Expert panel Now TAT (Teachers’ Aptitude Test) has been introduced at school level and NET (National Eligibility Test) is a criterion for college level but again giving written exams and passing it with a good grade cannot identify a person as a good teacher. Also the number of candidates having such degrees is less in India. Of course any person aspiring to be a teacher has to fulfil the above parameters, but what matters for the job of a teacher, is not a first class or a gold medal. A person who has four gold medals, who has passed in all subjects with distinction, who has a PhD degree usually aims to join the academics. The question is ‘Will the degree give him the job of a lecturer?’ In most cases, he may get the job because of the degree tag, but the more relevant questions would be: Will he survive as a teacher? Will a PhD or an equivalent degree make him the best teacher? Will he be accepted by the students? Will he be able to earn respect from the students? Will the students attend his lecture and gain some knowledge? Will gold medal and degrees give him that articulation skills and an aptitude of a teacher? Well it will not.
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European Journal of Education and Learning, Vol.3, 2007 ISSN(paper)2668-3318 ISSN(online)2668-361X www.BellPress.org
1.1 RECRUITMENT PARAMETERS Only basic academic requirements will not make a person a good teacher. The following parameters can complement the basic academic qualifications while the faculty is being interviewed or judged as a teacher:
Aptitude Articulation skills Passion Subject knowledge Technology know how Innovative ideas & techniques Aptitude - Aptitude means the acquired or inherent ability for learning and proficiency in a specific area or discipline. Aptitude is expressed in interest and is reflected in current performance which is expected to improve over time with training. The ability and the skill to teach is the basic requirement for a good teacher and also the assertiveness towards teaching & students can change the classroom dynamics. Articulation skills- Communication skills are important to fill in the gap between knowledge and delivery of the faculty in the classroom. Birbal, Chanakya the famous historical characters used to solve the most complex problems in the simplest illustrative way through their intelligence and articulation skills. Passion for teaching- People like Steve Jobs, Einstein did not have popular degrees but they had passion to do something different for the world. . If a teacher expands his fascination for teaching and turns it into passion he will enjoy his work and it would be reflected in the classroom performance too. A teacher has to be passionate about his classroom teaching and in turn, it should enhance the creativity of the students. The subject Knowledge-Most of the students judge their teachers on the basis of the subject knowledge. If the teacher is well aware about the facts and data of his subject, students can take benefit of his expertise. A teacher has to update his knowledge to bridge in the gap between theory and practice Technology know how –The chalk and talk method can never be discounted in teaching but the use of power point presentation and videos have proved to be comparatively more effective , as students find visual power more appealing than listening to someone for hours. If OMR (Optimal Mark Recognition) sheets are used for multiple choice questions it will save lot of energy and time of a teacher. This saved time can further enhance the research activities. Innovative ideas and techniques-X teacher can be better than Y teacher only because of his innovative way of teaching. It is very important for a teacher to use illustrations and Case study method to make classroom teaching more interesting. Example: If an Accountancy faculty teaches Process costing by actually showing the textile process or sugar process through videos or pictures, students can actually relate the theory with the practice in industries. While teaching goodwill, case study method can be used. Likewise, in all subjects the topic can be made more interesting by teaching it in a different way. For analysing all these points the candidate can be asked to do a presentation as well as teach in some of the classes. The candidate can be asked to present a particular topic in an innovative way by using the case study method
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European Journal of Education and Learning, Vol.3, 2007 ISSN(paper)2668-3318 ISSN(online)2668-361X www.BellPress.org Both the students and the director can give a feedback and the faculty can be approved henceforth and appointed for the post of a lecturer. 1.1.1CONTINUOUS EVALUATION The teaching qualities in a person can be acknowledged only after his recruitment. Once the faculty is recruited he has to be assessed continuously by the following parameters:
Availablity for solving queries Approach & ability to motivate the students Commitmnet Reading Material for students Evaluation of projects Research Let us see these points in detail: Availability for solving questions: At higher level the job of a teacher is not confined to classroom teaching. He has to be available to solve the queries of the students after the sessions and at times such conversations prove very beneficial for the growth of the students. Good teacher would never mind giving thankless hours for the students, interested beyond the books and reading notes. Approach & ability to motivate students: There are teachers whom students never approach due to fear, so it is important for a faculty member to be a friend, philosopher and guide to a student. As teaching has widened its scope to the all-round development of students, it is very essential for a teacher to nurture and develop minds and talents of the average students. “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge”-Albert Einstein. Commitment –Sincerity, honesty & punctuality in teaching field will lead to execution of responsibilities in an effective way. It could be commitment of small things like submission of papers on time, course completion, fair evaluation, giving course notes, redesigning the syllabus or it could be commitment of accomplishing task on behalf of the university. Reading material for the students: Good universities have diversified from the traditional system of using one text book. Instead the faculty members give compiled notes and case studies from reference books. It has to be apt, precise and loaded with latest factual data and figures related to the subject. Evaluation of projects: All reputed institutes in India have accepted the importance of projects and assignments even at the undergraduate level. Relevant practical projects and viva boosts the confidence level, improves the communication skills, makes the students more techno savvy and enhances the general knowledge. It also inculcates the feeling of team work and teaches them the management skills too. Continuous and fair evaluation of such projects is very essential to make the students more polished for the future endeavours. Research: Research holds lot of importance for any educational institute. A faculty has to do research in his long career of teaching. It will definitely improve his classroom performance but at the same time it is the institute’s responsibility to give him enough time, support, resources, funds and motivation to do research. The problem with the recruitment system is, once the teachers are recruited there is no proper system to judge the performance but the scenario is gradually changing. Feedback system is now given due importance in all the fields. Proper follow up should be ensured for taking timely feedback of faculty members to enhance the growth of the faculty as well as the institute. Many institutes have feedback
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European Journal of Education and Learning, Vol.3, 2007 ISSN(paper)2668-3318 ISSN(online)2668-361X www.BellPress.org system on paper only but a genuine feedback can definitely help the institute to find out the root cause of the problems and find solutions for the same.
2.NEW EVALUATION SYSTEM: Eminent Universities have executed 360 degree feedback in certain courses for judging the true aptitude of a faculty in various aspects. What is a 360 degree feedback? 360 degree feedback is basically designed to rule out the traditional performance appraisal system in corporate offices. But nowadays even educational institutes prefer such feedback 360 degree feedback not only measures the behaviour and competencies of an employee but also exhibits the facts about how the people in the institute perceive an employee The basic idea behind 360 feedback is that an employee is in the centre of the circle and he is judged from all the angles in the organisation A faculty is given performance appraisal based on the total score of all the types of feedback It includes some important parameters mentioned below in the diagram, which a normal feedback misses out:
Self Appraisal Parents' feedback
Administr ation staff's feedback
Faculty Students' feedback
Peer feedback
Dean's feedback
director's feedback
Self Appraisal: A faculty can fill in his Self appraisal form as he is well aware about his own strength and weakness in different areas. He can rate his own performance in terms of subject knowledge, course completion, topic introduction, punctuality, commitment and articulation skills. Administration staff’s feedback: In an academic institution administration staff plays a vital role in the growth of the institution. Unlike other places, here the administration staff has to directly deal with the faculty members for accounts related wok, Enrolment work or exam work. They can judge the organisational behaviour as well as the sharpness of the faculty but at times it could be biased too. Peer feedback: A teacher has to remain with the peers for almost half of his day and in these working hours the faculty is recognised best by his peer members. They can judge him in terms of different aspects like cooperation, rational behaviour, his willingness to help the students and new initiatives derived by him for the college development. Director’s feedback: Director of an institute can better judge the faculty member by assessing and scoring up the various parameters discussed above and through one to one conversation once in a month or so.
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European Journal of Education and Learning, Vol.3, 2007 ISSN(paper)2668-3318 ISSN(online)2668-361X www.BellPress.org While taking regular rounds during college hours he can supervise as well as observe the classroom discipline of a faculty. Dean’s feedback: This is not practiced by all the institutes, the dean can also give his feedback and analyse the different parameters submitted by the college authorities by meeting the faculty in person Students’ feedback: Students feedback is one of the most important elements of any feedback format.360 degree feedback is not exceptional. It also includes students’ feedback. They attend lectures regularly and they evaluate the faculty in terms of the parameters given below in the sample feedback
The following sample model can be followed for Students’ feedback
Name of the Institute: Faculty Name: Course Name: Semester: Instructions: 1. Please fill in the following form without writing your name, roll no., etc. on it. 2. This is not a comparative analysis of ranking of the faculty performance.
Please tick in the relevant box Parameters
Excellent
Very good
Good
Average
Below Average
Topic Presentation Teaching methodology: Clarity, coherence and effectiveness Subject Knowledge Relating theory with practice Communication skills Handling class discipline Punctuality Ability to motivate students Response to the questions raised by students Relevance & quality of supporting material: Readings, cases, etc
The sample given above can be used for different types of feedback by changing the parameters as per the need. There are many other areas of 360 degree feedback like institutional feedback and parent’s feedback. APPLICATION OF FEEDBACK SYSTEM
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European Journal of Education and Learning, Vol.3, 2007 ISSN(paper)2668-3318 ISSN(online)2668-361X www.BellPress.org There should be regular semester or trimester wise students’ feedback for teachers which should be followed strictly. If the feedback is taken course wise for each faculty at regular intervals the higher authorities can know the classroom performance of a teacher. Also teachers with good scores can be given individual performance award and those faculty who need improvement should be remediated through training and development programs Of course all schools and colleges have a feedback system, but hardly it is implemented in the right way. Students will be benefited if the performance bar of the teacher rises due to such feedback Also it is important to have an appropriate sample size for a fair feedback from the students. 360 degree feedback is still not acceptable in all educational institutes as it has negative aspects too. It could lead to biased results due to personal difference of opinion between employees, directors or administration staff. Also it is very subjective. But if these parameters are implemented in a systematic way it will compel the teachers to improve the classroom performance & organisational behaviour. CONCLUSION: Only education can open & ignite the closed minds. It gives a person self-confidence, financial independence, status and prosperity in the society. Students come with a hope to sail in the academic journey with the help of teachers. The need of the day is, to support them with the best of teachers. Even if a faculty fulfils 70%to 80% of all these parameters society will see the revolutionary change in the education sector. It will directly raise the bar for recruitment of students as professionals. Students from IIMs and IITs are making name worldwide and earning good packages. These institutes enjoy such reputation due to strong recruitment and evaluation procedure of faculty members. But since last decade many other institutes are also giving the best students to the corporate sector due to the following positive changes in the education sector in India Collaboration with the foreign universities Introduction of semester and trimester system with practical projects as an important part of a particular course at undergraduate level Introduction of grade system and entrance exams in various disciplines. Introduction of choice based credit system Faculty development programmes Faculty exchange programmes Guest lectures where experts from various fields share their expertise Availability of technological sources for teachers like the OHPS (overhead projectors), Laptops, free internet access, Wi Fi zones in campus. Such facilities will encourage the faculties to do research. Constant evaluation of teachers through feedback system Individual Performance bonus International and national conferences and seminars on various issues Increasing importance of research Willingness of young people with innovative ideas to join the teaching profession Experienced people from industries are willing to join the academics part time to share their expertise with the younger generation Consultancy Tie ups with NGOs for social awareness amongst the students With such dynamic changes in this field, we can raise the education level in India. As George Bernard Shaw has rightly stated“Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds, cannot change anything�
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European Journal of Education and Learning, Vol.3, 2007 ISSN(paper)2668-3318 ISSN(online)2668-361X www.BellPress.org References: Clift, Renee. T. (May/June 2008) . Letter to the 44th President of the United States. Journal of Teacher Education (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), vol. 59 (no. 3), 220-225. http://jte.sagepub.com/content/59/3/220.abstract Crosswell, Leanne J. & Elliott, Robert G. (2004) . Committed teachers, passionate teachers : the dimension of passion associated with teacher commitment and engagement. In AARE Conference, Melbourne, Australia. http://www.aare.edu.au Dodd, M.R. (1933) . A study of teaching aptitude, West Virginia University. Journal of educational Research, vol .26 ( No 7). http://www.jstor.org/pss/27525682 Eiesenman, Russell. (2008) . SOME ASPECTS OF SUCCESSFUL TEACHING www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=403383 Higher education in India, issues, concern & new direction, UGC New Delhi,Pg.37 to 44 Leblanc Richard, (Reprinted here with permission of Professor Leblanc, October 8, 1998.) . Ten top points of good teaching, article in the teaching professor. http://www2.honolulu.hawaii.edu/facdev/guidebk/teachtip/topten.htm Thompson Alfred , (2007) .Why passion is important for teachers? http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/alfredtwo/Why-Passion-is-Important-for-Teachers The Times of India. ( February15, 2011) . Article on Teachers Aptitude Test now compulsory. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-15/ahmedabad/28546982_1_aspiring-teachers-highersecondary-schools-ahmedabad-school-management-association
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