Checklist for Improving Student Performance

 

Yes No Content Issues

‰ ‰ Are the courses throughout the program aligned to one another?
‰ ‰ Is the program curriculum free of gaps and redundancies?
‰ ‰ Are course objectives written at the appropriate cognitive, affective, and/or
psychomotor levels?
‰ ‰ Do syllabi reflect standards covered aligned to standards tested?
‰ ‰ Do learning materials support appropriate standards and performance levels?
‰ ‰ Do placement tests, diagnostic exams, or prerequisite courses ensure entry skill
mastery?
‰ ‰ Do textbooks and other materials cover the content necessary for mastery of the
subject?
‰ ‰ Is there a continuous improvement process in place that reviews and revises
curriculum regularly?
‰ ‰ When changes are made to service courses, is part of the process to work across
programs to ensure proposed changes will not have a negative impact on any
major?
‰ ‰ Are curricular changes piloted before program-wide implementation?
‰ ‰ Are analyses conducted to gauge the longitudinal effects of curricular changes?
‰ ‰ Does the program gather data about performance in prerequisite courses compared
to follow-on courses?
‰ ‰ Does the program use pre- and post-tests to measure the value added by a course
or sequence of courses?
‰ ‰ Does the program survey those who hire graduates or accept interns to help
determine program strengths and weaknesses?
‰ ‰

‰ ‰
Yes No Student Issues
‰ ‰ Do students have the entry-level skills/academic preparation necessary to succeed
in the program or individual courses?
‰ ‰ Are admission test scores of these students comparable to previous students?
‰ ‰ Is a pre-test/placement test used to advise students to take courses at their current
performance level?
‰ ‰ Are placement test scores of these students similar to those of previous students?
                                     Checklist for Improving Student Performance

Yes No Student Issues (continued)

‰ ‰ Are benchmark assessments used to detect students who require intervention as
soon as possible?
‰ ‰ Is there a system to assure that students have passed prerequisite courses?

‰ ‰ Do students have the study skills necessary to succeed in the program or individual
courses?
‰ ‰ Do students have the motivation to do the type and/or amount of work necessary to
succeed in the program or individual courses?
‰ ‰ Do students’ other commitments (e.g., work, athletics, or parenting) allow them to
devote the amount of time necessary to succeed in the program or individual
courses?
‰ ‰ Is the NSSE data for self-reported amounts of time spent studying and level
engagement of these students similar to that of previous students?
‰ ‰ Do instructors’ teaching styles complement students’ learning styles?
‰ ‰ Is student performance in other courses comparable with that of the program or
course in question?
‰ ‰

‰ ‰
Yes No Faculty Issues
‰ ‰ Do the instructors have the qualifications necessary to teach the courses which they
are assigned?
‰ ‰ Do instructors show up for every class period?
‰ ‰ Are instructors prepared to teach the content required by the syllabus at every class

Florida A&M University Teachers for a New Era

meeting?
‰ ‰ Do instructors stick to the material to be covered with minimum digressions?
‰ ‰ Are instructors free of symptoms of the “If only we had better students” syndrome?
‰ ‰ Have instructors taught this level of student before?
‰ ‰ Are instructors free of the “this is a weed out course” attitude?
‰ ‰ Do instructors keep regular office hours?
‰ ‰ Are instructors’ commitments (such as research, committee work or grants) such
that they have sufficient time for preparation and quality instruction?
‰ ‰ Are extenuating circumstances in instructors’ personal lives at levels so that they do
not effect instruction?
‰ ‰ Is the number of adjuncts who work full time on other jobs kept to a minimum?

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                                     Checklist for Improving Student Performance

Yes No Faculty Issues (continued)

‰ ‰ Are instructors who also teach at other colleges with different program requirements
able to switch between curricula with ease?
‰ ‰ Do course evaluations of faculty by students indicate that faculty members are
effective instructors?
‰ ‰ Does the program conduct student focus groups to gather qualitative feedback in
addition to course evaluations?
‰ ‰

‰ ‰

Yes No Pedagogical Issues

‰ ‰ Do instructors have teaching styles which are effective with these types of students?
‰ ‰ Are instructors knowledgeable about students’ learning styles?
‰ ‰ Do instructors employ alternatives to lecturing?
‰ ‰ Do instructors regularly use technology to deliver course material?
‰ ‰ Do instructors use methodology that fits the content?
‰ ‰ Do instructors use active learning techniques?
‰ ‰ Do instructors engage students in problem-solving activities?
‰ ‰ Do instructors use pedagogical strategies that foster high retention of subject
matter?
‰ ‰ Does the program have a way to track the effect of teaching strategies on students’
subject mastery?
‰ ‰ Do instructors have knowledge of formative and summative assessment

Florida A&M University Teachers for a New Era

techniques?
‰ ‰ Do instructors assess early and often?
‰ ‰ Do instructors give frequent, detailed feedback?
‰ ‰ Do instructors use multiple measures such as self-perception surveys and
performance assessments?
‰ ‰ Do instructors use data from the University testing center to gauge validity and
reliability of individual exam questions?
‰ ‰

‰ ‰

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                                     Checklist for Improving Student Performance

Yes No Environmental Issues

‰ ‰ Is the number of students enrolled appropriate for the subject matter and level of
difficulty of the course?
‰ ‰ Is the size of the classroom appropriate for the types of activities the instructor has
planned?
‰ ‰ Does the configuration of the classroom lend itself to engaging students in various
types of learning experiences?
‰ ‰ Is the temperature in the classroom conducive to student learning?
‰ ‰ Is the noise level in the classroom conducive to the type of academic work being
undertaken?
‰ ‰ Is disruptive behavior such as cell phone use, entering late or leaving early kept to a
minimum?
‰ ‰ Are classes scheduled in time blocks that maximize students’ acquisition of the
material?
‰ ‰ Are classes scheduled at times of day that are optimal for student learning?
‰ ‰ Has the program explored a combination of time of day and number of class
meetings a week which results in the highest student outcomes?
‰ ‰ Do students have access to the laboratory equipment necessary to complete the
coursework?
‰ ‰ Is the technology desirable for delivering the content readily accessible?

‰ ‰

‰ ‰
Compiled by Dr. Serena Roberts ([email protected]) and Dr. Gita Wijesinghe Pitter

Florida A&M University Teachers for a New Era

([email protected]) as part of design team work done for Florida A&M University Teachers for a New Era
2004-2008.

This document was made possible in part by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford
Foundation, and the Annenberg Foundation. The statements made and views expressed are solely the
responsibility of the authors. 

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