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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 1971)
mm, Faculty appraisal to be private A MAJOR DOCUMENT OF OUR TIMES by MARSHA BANGERT Staff Writer Open hearings are slated Wednesday afternoon on proposals by a Teaching Council committee that would place the key to student evaluation of teachers into the hands of individual instructors. Under a plan proposed by the Faculty Evaluation release, or keep confidential Tuesday, March 2nd 3,7 & 9 P.M. j SHELDON ADMISSION $1 111 in LiU IPTfPfolH PI f WNlW 1(1 fill lfl(f) 11 tfo51fll HffllFl JV. iHjn U U vLP LIL Uu U UuLJLlu ?! in ill 1 1 Buy a Famous ARBY'S Roast Beef Sandwich. Through March 9 all shaEtes are only 10$ SNING GVR TO- n ri (7 Ilk 1 I lovk. -a- '0 Try a Jamocha shake for a new taste treat! 4th and Q Street Lincoln tho data compiled from student (evaluation questionnaires. The co.nmittee of two students, six faculty was established in February 1970 by the Teaching Council in response to a Faculty Senate resolution more than a year ago. "The major goal of student evaluation is to provide information to an instructor regarding items that affect and influence his teaching effectiveness," the committee report states. "As such, this information should be considered confidential and privileged." Some professors told committee members that they would not participate in faculty evaluation if the data would be published according to committee member Vernon G. Williams, associate professor of educational psychology and Teaching Council member. He added that the committee felt many faculty members would support the right of professors not to release data although they themselves would allow evaluation results to be published. But some committee members felt that the most effective way to achieve the major aim of improving "an individual instructor's classroom teaching" was to show student evaluation data onlv to departmental chairmen, Williams said. "Significant individual opinions were expressed during our committee's discussions," he said. "Our report is a compromise." Members of the University will have an opportunity to give their opinions on the report at the open hearing at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Nebraska Union. The hearing will give anyone in the academic community a chance to "influence" the report and its recommendations prior to its submission to the Faculty Senate March 9, Williams said. The report and its recommendations have already been endorsed by the Teaching Council. According to the report, the committee believes that teaching evaluations inform faculty members of "student perceptions of their teaching effectiveness." Evaluations also provide "more objective information on teaching effectiveness" for use by administrators and students, according to the report. These opinions were based on a study of evaluation systems at other institutions. The report proposes "systematic procedures for carrying out periodic course and instructional assessment" at the departmental level. Each department chairman would be required to make an annual report on evaluation. The report urges that any program developed be periodically reviewed, the first review to be within two years. But recognizing that no one evaluation will provide "all the information every department or individual needs or desires," the report urges departments to develop questionnaires "especially meaningful and relevant" to their situation. Also recommendeA is a course description and instructor's statements to provide more explicit information about class intent. The course description would include information about prerequisites, required reading material, required assignments and examinations. Instructor's statements would cover particular aspects of the course. Finally the report recommends that any faculty evaluation program established be viewed "as tentative and experimental." I states, "In matters as complex as this, it is difficult to foretell with great confidence specific outcomes or values." Legislature passes voting amendment The Unicameral Monday gave overwhelming first round approval to a proposed constitutional amendment giving 18 and 19 year-olds the right to vote in state and local elections. Acceptance of the amendment and approval by the state's voters would bring Nebraska's local standards in line with last summer's Federal Voting Rights act that lowered the voting age from 2 1 to 1 8 in federal elections. The amendment was approved on a 38-2 vote. It is co-sponsored by 16 senators. According to Sen. William Swanson of Lincoln, one of the amendment's chief advocates, adoption of the amendment would eliminate the dual system of ballots and voting procedures that would otherwise be necessary. Only Sen. Sam Klaver of Omaha and Sen. Herb Nore of Genoa voted against the bill. Klaver said that Nebraska voters in 1968 voted against lowering the voting age to 19. He also argued that if 18-year-olds can vote they should also be held liable for contracts. The legislature approved an amendment by Sen. Terry Carpenter of Scottsbluff to expediate approval of the bill. Swanson followed with an amendment to provide that the question be put on the primary ballot next year rather than the general election ballot as originally provided for in the bill. ETV Building. . . . The Unicameral Monday, on a motion by Sen. Terry Carpenter of Scottsbluff, instructed one of its select committees to study the possible use of the new Nebraska Educational Television Building as a state office building. Carpenter said senators should have the opportunity to take a last look at the whole field of educational TV before the building on the University East campus is equipped and occupied. Explaining his motion before the 29-5 vote. Carpenter said the Legislature ought to decide "how far we want to expand ETV." He added that Nebraska public schools are "unwilling to make contributions" for educational broadcasts. The legislative committee is to report with 30 days whether the ETV building could be used as "a substitute" for the proposed 1 5th St. state office building. PAGE 2 THE DAILY NEBRASKAN TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 1971