Teacher Education Instruments

Student Course Evaluations

Instrument 4: STEP Student Survey

Project: Systemic Teacher Excellence Preparation (STEP)
Montana State University

Funding Source: NSF: Collaboratives for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (DUE)

Purpose: Assessment of revised course content and experiences for pre-service teachers

Administered To: Students enrolled in reformed courses (science, mathematics, and education methods courses)

Topics Covered:

• Attitudes & Beliefs (Student): purpose for participation, rigor
• Comparisons: life relevance
• Course Evaluation: activities, assessment, instructor, integration, methods, practical value, technology
• Student/Teacher Interaction: student comfort
• Background Characteristics & Activities (Student): academic focus, academic interests, academic level, career interests, education
• Demographics (Student): ethnicity, gender

Format/Length: 34 questions, 26 closed- and 8 open-ended, plus 8 demographic questions. Formats include 5-point Likert scale ranging from "never" to "almost always", yes/no, and short answer.

SPRING 1996 STEP STUDENT SURVEY

The Systemic Teacher Excellence Preparation (STEP) Project appreciates your answers to the following questions. All your responses will be strictly confidential. YOUR PARTICIPATION IS VOLUNTARY AND NOT RELATED IN ANY WAY TO YOUR GRADE IN THIS CLASS.

Demographics: Please fill in the blank or check the appropriate response.
1. Your school
   ____MSU-Bozeman
   ____MSU-Northern
   ____MSU-Billings
   ____U of M
   ____WMC

2. This Course Title and Number:  __________________________________________

3. Your Gender:
   ____Male
   ____Female

4. Your Ethnicity:
   ____Caucasian
   ____Native American
   ____Hispanic
   ____Asian
   ____African
   ____Other

5. Your Major:  ________________________
   Minor:  

6. The Year you graduated from High School (or earned your equivalent GED)?  ___________

7. Do you plan a career in teaching?
   ____Yes
   ____No (If "no" go directly to #9)

8. What do you plan to teach? (Please check all categories that apply.)
   ____Elementary School
   ____Middle School
   ____Secondary School
   ____Math
   ____Science
   ____Other Subjects

Please check your answer to the following questions about experiences in this class. There are no right or wrong answers.

9.	Do you think the work you are asked to do in this class is challenging?	____Yes	____No	____Don't Know
10.	Do you participate in field trips or field experiences?	____Yes	____No	____Don't Know
11.	For this course do you keep a journal or portfolio?	____Yes	____No	____Don't Know
12.	Do you make class presentations?	____Yes	____No	____Don't Know
13.	Do you write paper(s) or reports for this course?	____Yes	____No	____Don't Know
14.	In this course, do any test questions require essay responses?	____Yes	____No	____Don't Know
15.	Do you feel free to talk to your instructor individually about your work or progress in this course?	____Yes	____No	____Don't Know
16.	Are all students (regardless of gender, ethnicity or handicap) treated equally in this class?	____Yes	____No	____Not Applicable
17.	If Math class, do you see connections between this course and other mathematics fields (e.g. algebra, geometry, statistics, etc.)	____Yes	____No	____Not Applicable
18.	If Science class, do you see connections between this course and other science fields (e.g. biology, chemistry, geology, etc.)?	____Yes	____No	____Don't Know

Indicate the amount of time spent in a typical WEEK in this class on each of the following activities by writing a percentage next to each choice below. Please make sure that your total is 100%.

	% of time spent
listen and take notes on class lectures	_________%
participate in group discussions	_________%
work in small cooperative groups or teams	_________%
observe presentations (slides, video tape, computer simulations, or other demonstration)	_________%
do laboratory activities	_________%
other instructional activity (please describe______________________)	_________%
	Total=100%

Please circle a number to rate how often for this class you ...

	never	rarely	sometimes	frequently	almost always
use a calculator	1	2	3	4	5
use a graphing calculator	1	2	3	4	5
use a computer for word processing or spreadsheets	1	2	3	4	5
log onto a telecommunication network (Internet, e-mail, etc.)	1	2	3	4	5
collect data with computer or calculator lab probe	1	2	3	4	5
conduct experiments	1	2	3	4	5
encounter materials or activities that provoke curiosity	1	2	3	4	5
decide the best way to proceed during an investigation	1	2	3	4	5
explain an event that has multiple interpretations	1	2	3	4	5
analyze, interpret or evaluate data from charts or graphs	1	2	3	4	5
do problems or projects that you find interesting	1	2	3	4	5
create your own strategy to solve a problem	1	2	3	4	5
participate in activities that integrate mathematics and science	1	2	3	4	5
get to verbally explain your thinking or understanding	1	2	3	4	5
evaluate your own work	1	2	3	4	5
make systemic observations	1	2	3	4	5

Please answer the following questions in the space provided.

How is (or isn't) this course different from other math/science courses you have taken in the past?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

What kind of connections (if any) do you see between the content presented in this class and the world outside of school?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________