Facilitated student discussions for evaluating teaching

Trying to improve undergraduate teaching based on feedback collected by traditional student course evaluations can be a frustrating experience. Unclear, contradictory and ill-informed student comments leave instructors confused and discouraged. We designed and then implemented an evaluation mechanism where an independent CS faculty peer visits a lecture and holds an evaluation discussion with the students. These facilitated discussions begin by looking at overall strengths and weaknesses for the course but quickly focus on the key student concerns and suggestions for improvement. After conducting thirty four facilitated discussions, we find them appreciated by students who feel heard and valued. A survey of participating faculty indicates that the written discussion report is more useful to them than standard student survey results. Faculty report that they have made changes based on the recommendations and limited quantitative data suggests that teaching has improved and its value in the departmental culture has increased. In this paper we describe the evaluation process, discuss our experiences and offer some concrete suggestions for those who might want to try this approach in their own department.