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

 

  1. My students

 

        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 Counseling Center at Fort Lewis College (FLC), explains my broad contributions to the Counseling Center, while Marc Goldfarb, Assistant Director of the Leadership Center at FLC, details my work with the Peer Educators.  Dr. Hal Arkowitz, my graduate school mentor, outlines my qualifications in a 2005 reference letter, while my former department chair, Dr. Beverly Chew, explains my proficiency at guest lecturing for colleagues as well as academic advising for students. In 2007, I was nominated by Dr. Sharon Sears for the Fort Lewis College Outstanding Achievement Award and commended by the President of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, Dr. Bill Buskist, for giving the pre-conference workshop at the National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology (NITOP).

 

 

       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 Fort Lewis College.

 

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+