Brian L. Burke, PhD
Professor of Psychology
Fort Lewis College, Durango, CO 81301
(970) 247-7088 burke_b@fortlewis.edu
Teaching Effectiveness: Evaluations from Multiple Sources
Evidence for my effectiveness as a teacher stems from 3 main sources:
ü My students
ü My colleagues
ü Observations from Instructional Support Specialists
In the following files, my student
evaluations are first presented separately for each course I have taught
during my first decade at Fort Lewis College (FLC) from 2003-2012, including
student written comments. Note that, in
2013, FLC began employing college-wide online password-protected teaching
evaluations, and those are therefore not available for you to view. At Fort
Lewis College, based on ALL surveyed students
(~1000) in my classes from 2003-2012, students rate me as a 4.8 (out of 5) for
overall effectiveness; their written comments bolster these high
ratings and illustrate that I am successfully implementing my teaching philosophy. Further, 98% of students rate me as either very good or excellent as a
professor, with 82% rating me as excellent, the highest possible rating. Fort Lewis College students also evaluated me online on a popular
website and on myspace.com (see below for myspace
ratings from January 2006), which also show similar quality as my more official
evaluations (e.g., Rate My Professor
average of 4.8/5).
In addition to the formal
quantitative evaluations detailed above, students have also indicated in a qualitative manner
that they have benefited immensely from my teaching. As examples of this, please see the letters students wrote (Crystal, Shelley, and Michelle) in support of my
nomination for The Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP) Early
Career Award in 2007.
2. My colleagues
In addition to letters of recommendation from students (above),
several of my colleagues have also attested to my effectiveness across a wide
range of teaching endeavors. For
instance, Dr. Susan McGinness, the Director of the
3. Instructional Support Specialists (click for link)
Dr. Brian Burke’s MySpace Report Card
(from January 2006):
Intro to psych
10/15/2006 A+ I had him a
while ago, but he is still one of my favorites. He make lectures interesting
and used more of a modern approach to connect with his students. He is also
very friendly and outgoing outside of class and always makes a point to say hi
to you when you see him.
Abnormal psycho
05/26/2006 A+ awesome teacher!
Abnormal Psych
05/13/2006 A+ He is the best
teacher I have ever had, and he makes the classes so interesting. I loved
abnormal psych, the best class ive ever taken.
Counseling Skill
04/15/2006 A+ As with other
classes I have had with Brian, I learned an incredible amount of information
and had a good time doing it. Brian is a great prof and mentor. He is very
fair, and if you ever have trouble just let him know, and he will do anything
to help you out. An all around great person.
Psych 499
04/07/2006 A I never had Brian for an actual class but he
has been a great mentor as my psych 499 advisor. i
consider Brian a friend and would suggest working with him to anyone
Psychology
03/17/2006 A+ When I started
his class I did not know a thing about psychology…I’m an English major.
However, his lectures were so interesting (I think he spends days on preparing
his presentations) that I can now quote the book. He is now one of my “Top 5”
teachers at
Intro to psych
03/14/2006 A+ great teacher
!!!!! dont miss out on a class of his even if your
failing everything else you can help but learn!
Intro to Psych
02/10/2006 A+ makes all
concepts easy to understand. One of my better teachers
Psychology
01/31/2006 A+ One of the best
teachers I've ever had, hands down.
Intro to Psych
01/16/2006 A+ Brian teaches
directly to his audience, is straight forward with the necessary information,
and his class is completely enjoyable
Personality
12/23/2005 A+ Brian is awesome
at teaching. He does a lot of in class activities to keep things interesting
and isn't interested in specifics... just wants you to get a basic
understanding of the material.
Senior Sem.
12/16/2005 A+ Brian Burke is
an awesome professor. He's really good at teaching.
Report Card
Burke, Brian
Lectures: A+
Homework: A+
Tests: A+
Fairness: A
Grading: A+
Accessibility: A+
Final: A+