The Assessment of Teaching

Allen C. Estes, United States Military Academy
Ronald W. Welch, United States Military Academy
Stephen J. Ressler, United States Military Academy

Article comments

The definitive version can be found online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1052-3928(2006)132:1(2). © 2006 American Society of Civil Engineers.

NOTE: At the time of publication, the author Allen Estes was affiliated with the United States Military Academy - West Point, NY. Currently, August 2008, he is Head and Professor of Architectural Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.

Abstract

The role of the teacher in the classroom carries tremendous responsibility. A group of students that can range from a half-dozen to several hundred depend on their professor to provide structure to a body of knowledge, to guide the learning process, to convey difficult subjects in a clear manner, to lead the classroom and out-of-class activities so that student time is used efficiently, and to provide a course of instruction in which the students can successfully complete the learning objectives. And somehow, the teacher is expected to establish some rapport with these students along the way. How does the teacher know when he or she is doing well? And how does someone who oversees a program know that the program’s faculty members are teaching at an appropriate standard? This Teaching Lessons Learned installment attempts to answer these questions, using tools and techniques currently in use at the U.S. Military Academy as illustrations.