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[newadjunct4u]

I recently read my end of the semester student evaluations, and there were some scathing comments. I'm not sure how to feel about the students comments. Most of the students said I was a great teacher, but the ones that did not appreciate my methods were   unapologetically brutal. Given this was my very first semester teaching, I'm not sure how to feel about these comments, or how it will effect my job status (I'm currently listed to teach in the spring). Any advice or stories about your first time adjuncting / teaching would be appreciated.

[kissable_rye]

I recently read my end of the semester student evaluations, and there were some scathing comments. I'm not sure how to feel about the students comments. Most of the students said I was a great teacher, but the ones that did not appreciate my methods were   unapologetically brutal. Given this was my very first semester teaching, I'm not sure how to feel about these comments, or how it will effect my job status (I'm currently listed to teach in the spring). Any advice or stories about your first time adjuncting / teaching would be appreciated.

The part in bold is what matters. If you don't piss off a few students every semester, you may not be holding your class to any decent standards. For now, focus on continuing to do what your students praised. Then, in a month or two, open up the scathing comments again and see if you can identify anything that you might actually improve upon. It's funny how the hurtful comments can actually lead you to better practice, if you just wait long enough to actually be able to "read" them.

I wouldn't worry so much about the evaluations hurting your job status if most were positive. It would be highly unusual for you to lose your spring classes at this point, even if you did have a chair who is asinine enough to worry about the minority of the student comments.

[slac_vap]

Hi newadjunct4u,

I replied to your post on the In the Classroom board.

slac_vap

[miss_m]

Hi, New!

First, you already got excellent advice on how to look at those sheets.  Look at it this way, students only write extensively/at all when they love you or hate you.

Now, if you have a program director or chair you actually know and think is an okay person, set up a meeting to talk about your evals.  Ask specifically about department/program averages for the kind of course you were teaching.  If you can see other's scores online, take a look before going to a meeting or maybe before setting one up.  Gen Ed courses and other requirements for non-majors--which are most often taught by adjuncts--tend to average a little lower than courses filled with majors or fun-filled electives.

Also, you may want to consider why those few students said what they said.  Are there ways you can make your methods more accessible to future versions of "them"?  Are there ways you can be more transparent or explain the value of certain activities that might cut them off at the pass?  Sometimes, students are just resistant no matter what you do, but sometimes, thinking about ways to open up to everybody can make you a better teacher.  James Lang's pieces here may be a good read for you.  He wrote one last year about mid-term evaluations that you construct and give out yourself so you can shift your practice as needed.  I have started doing that with new classes/preps or new populations of students (level, school, etc.) just to see if I was getting it close to right.  Something similar may help you this spring.

[sunnyday]

Look at it this way, students only write extensively/at all when they love you or hate you.

I agree, and the same is true for RMP.

[d_w_s]

i had a similar experience.
In my case, though, my evals were still better than some tenured faculty in the department (i know because they have an open system, where i may not be able to see actual comments, but you can see averaged rankings).
TAKE IT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT.
and then look within, and take it seriously: how might you change your classroom strategies to avert some of the 'real' criticisms that point to the learning situation made difficult for students?

[king_ghidorah]

Really, New, a great many students are strangely angry at being in school in the first place - college is not for everybody but there are so many limitations for people without a college degree that more than a few disgruntled people end up taking our classes.  I think this accounts for a great many of the scathing comments, particularly if you are teaching in general ed., which only adds fuel to the flame.  Go with the majority opinion of your performance.