Bruin Brief 2022-03-18: Reflective teaching and student evaluation data

“We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are” -Max Depree

Teaching as Reflective Practice

Donald Shön’s seminal book Reflective Practitioner (1983) builds on John Dewey’s proposition that reflective practice encompasses experience, interaction, and reflection. Shön proposes reflection by practitioners in any discipline to identify the decisions to be made, the ends to be achieved, and the means to achieve those ends. Applied to our profession, reflective teaching means that each nurse educator reflects on their overall teaching effectiveness class-by-class, quarter-by-quarter, and year-by-year. Through reflection, we consider the complex interaction of content, process, personalities, and setting to refine our teaching approach the next time we enter the classroom or clinical setting.

To put it simply, we grow through reflecting on our teaching performance.

Student Evaluations of Teaching Effectiveness: A Source for Reflective Action

In a couple of weeks, UCLA will release winter quarter student evaluations. This is an opportunity for reflective practice. Each faculty member will receive student feedback on a series of specific questions about course effectiveness and faculty effectiveness. A key reflective question to ask is, “How does my actual performance this quarter compare to expectations?” We have personal expectations for our own excellence. And we work for an employer with stated performance expectations. The expectations for teaching effectiveness are specified by the School of Nursing.

School of Nursing Benchmarks for Teaching Effectiveness based on CCNE Standards

In the months before the 2020 CCNE accreditation, faculty voted to approve benchmarks for faculty performance in teaching, scholarship, practice, and service.

UCLA School of Nursing Program Evaluation Plan

Based on Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) Standards for Accreditation of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs

(Key Element IV-G)

Faculty perform effectively in teaching, scholarship, practice and/or service roles:

Teaching: Quality of instruction will be greater than 6 (scale 1-9 with 9 being highest) on student evaluations.

Faculty scholarship: 75% of all tenure track and adjunct faculty will disseminate at least 1 scholarly product annually.

Faculty Practice: 80% of faculty engage in clinical practice which includes active practice, research in a hospital or community-based clinical setting, volunteer in a clinical setting such as medical trips or health fairs.

Faculty Service: 75% of all faculty serve on at least one SON, university, or professional organization committee.

The teaching criterion specifies a score greater than 6 on student evaluations. The accountable entities to monitor this criterion are FEC, Program Directors, the Academic Dean, and the Dean, who assure the benchmark is consistently attained or exceeded.

Steps to Action: New Policy Approved and Open for Discussion

To make the SON Program Evaluation Plan actionable and transparent, a new policy on the use of student course evaluations has been approved by the Dean, reviewed by FEC, and is now on the agenda for Faculty Meeting on Tuesday March 22^nd. The goal of the discussion on Tuesday is for faculty to learn about the School’s Program Evaluation Plan, understand how that plan links to university-wide student evaluation data use, and consider the complementarity of reflective teaching and our collective attainment of quality education indicators.

“There’s nothing new here,” said one faculty member who recently reviewed the policy. “This is basic quality improvement.” More than that, reflective teaching is a journey of self-improvement. The shared work of improving faculty teaching performance and student learning affirms the School of Nursing vision. Together we will lead and transform how nursing is taught and practiced.