Evaluation Resource Central: Program Evaluations
This information does not act as a substitute for a visit with one of our writing tutors. It is provided as a starting point for your work. We strongly recommend scheduling an appointment with one of our writing tutors for more tailored, one-on-one conversations about your evaluations.
The program evaluation is intended as a space to provide feedback on what did and didn't work within the program itself. Often, faculty will provide a list of questions for your consideration if they request a program evaluation. There is no official form available for program evaluations, since they are typically optional and are explicitly requested by your faculty.
A program evaluation differs from a faculty evaluation in that it addresses the whole of a particular program rather than a specific faculty member's role within that program. It can focus on specific technical aspects of the program such as field trips and lectures that are not generally included within the faculty evaluation.
There are a number of questions that you could consider when writing your program evaluation:
- What was the most useful thing we did in class? What was the least useful?
- What parts of the program would you want to do again?
- Have you made any significant improvements in writing, quantitative reasoning, scientific analysis, or your general understanding of a particular subject? What part or parts of the program contributed to this improvement?
- How well was the faculty team able to plan and execute various aspects of the program?
- Did the program contribute to or change your future goals? How or why?
- What expectations did you have about your learning when entering the program? Were these expectations met?
- Would you take the program again? Why or why not?
The program evaluation should be treated as a serious retrospective that faculty will use should they decide to teach a similar program in the future.