becker annual feedback final 11 june

7/31/2019 Becker Annual Feedback Final 11 June

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School of Education

2011-2012 Annual Faculty AssessmentJonathan Becker

Assistant Professor Department of Educational Administration

April 2012Dr. Becker presented his 2011-2012 Final Activity Report and Narrative, copies of articles published and in-press, course outlines and student work, student courseevaluations, and his 2012-2013 work plan. The materials for 2011-2012 are completeand provide good evidence for reviewing Dr. Becker's work and his contribution to theDepartment and School.

This report covers a Spring and Fall 2011 for teaching and begins with the start of theacademic year for the other categories. This timeframe is used because studentevaluations for spring and summer were not available in time for last years annual

feedback. Faculty members included projected activity through August 2012 in researchand service.

Demonstrated Quality in Teaching

To examine Dr. Becker's teaching, I examined his narrative describing his teaching andstudent evaluations. I looked at his course constructions online, which is where theyreside, and viewed student products online

Jonathan taught 10 students in spring and 5 in the fall semester He is currently chairing15 dissertations, which is where the majority of his teaching occurs. In addition, he isthe methodologist in 7 other committees. Of the committees he chairs, three studentswill graduate this spring and two more are scheduled to defend dissertations thissummer.

Dr. Becker is the most innovative teacher in the department, trying things others don'tand that students haven't experienced. His focus on their learning is exemplary andresults in very mixed evaluations, primarily because he pushes them to construct their own learning agendas, with his guidance.

His use of connectivist and constructivist learning is, unfortunately out of the ordinary for the students in our program, and some of them resist doing the work. Dr. Becker taughttwo online classes and much of the feedback and evaluation reflects student discomfortwith online learning. For instance, in both classes students made comments that reflecttheir anxiety with online learning:

Make real life connections with students Would have appreciated occasional face-to-face meeting to enrich the course Make things a bit more personable [Provide] opportunity to collaborate with classmates

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More webinars More conversation

Dr. Becker taught 15 students and his response rate for the evaluations was 100%.Examining student evaluations of online courses to evaluations of face-to-face coursesis somewhat troublesome for me. We dont have enough experience to know whether

this is a fair comparison. Nevertheless, to examine Dr. Becker's student evaluation inrelation to the evaluations of others on the faculty, I compared by program and totaldepartment averages.

Students in both programs rate Dr. Becker's courses as more demanding than theoverall program or department mean, with M.Ed./PMC students finding their course verydemanding. On a scale from Never (1) to Almost Always (5), Dr. Becker was on thepositive side (3 and above) on all items in his doctoral teachings and split on hisM.Ed./PMC teaching. The mean of the combined ratings are all on the positive side..

Dr. Becker Student Evaluations All Courses Compared to Department All

Program AveragesFall2011

ADMS647

Spring2011

ADMS707

Total Department AllPrograms

Number of Students 5 10 15 NANumber of Evaluations 5 10 15 NADemands of Class 4.6 4 4.3 3.51Preparation 3.6 4.6 4.1 4.62

Availability 4.2 4.6 4.4 4.65Returned Work Timely 2.4 4.2 3.3 4.63Presented Course Material inOrganized Manner 2.6 3.9 3.25 4.51

Materials Facilitated Learning 2.8 3.9 3.35 4.45Teaching Techniques HelpedLearning 2.8 3.8 3.3 4.44

Encouraged Participation andDiscussion 4.0 4.8 4.4 4.84

Treated Students with Courtesyand Respect 2.4 4.8 3.6 4.54

Evaluative Criteria 2.2 4.2 3.2 4.54Helped UnderstandProfessional Expectations 3.0 3.8 3.4 4.52Knowledge and Skills Increased 3.6 4.2 3.9 4.54

Students praised Dr. Becker for his availability and responsiveness and remarked on allof the new learning they had about technology and how to use technology as a learningtool. Students in the Ph.D. class rated Dr. Becker higher than did students in theM.Ed./PMC class. These classes had very different purposes, but both used onlinelearning and technology.

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I think it is important to note that the M.Ed./PMC class. ADMS 647, EducationalTechnology for School Leaders, is the class that received the most criticism for usingtechnology, an odd response for a class on technology. That class had only 5 students,all of them part of the Visiting International Faculty (VIF) program. The courseevaluations were bimodal -- two students really liked the class, two really didn't like the

class, and one student went back and forth.Jonathan Becker Student Evaluations M.Ed./PMC and Ph.D. Compared to Program

Averages

Fall 2011 ADMS

647

Program AverageM.ED/PMC

Spring 2011 ADMS 707

Program Average

Ph.D.Number of Students 5 NA 5 NANumber of Evaluations 5 NA 10 NADemands of Class 4.6 3.51 4 3.59Preparation 3.6 4.78 4.6 4.70

Availability 4.2 4.75 4.6 4.82Returned Work Timely 2.4 4.80 4.2 4.72Presented CourseMaterial in OrganizedManner

2.6 4.76 3.9 4.65

Materials FacilitatedLearning 2.8 4.67 3.9 4.60

Teaching TechniquesHelped Learning 2.8 4.65 3.8 4.60

EncouragedParticipation andDiscussion

4.0 4.76 4.8 4.85

Treated Students withCourtesy and Respect 2.4 4.90 4.8 4.93

Evaluative Criteria 2.2 4.72 4.2 4.62Helped UnderstandProfessionalExpectations

3.0 4.78 3.8 4.56

Knowledge and SkillsIncreased 3.6 4.72 4.2 4.63

Dr. Becker taught several class sessions for the Ed.D. students in the three LearningCommunities, although it was not part of his load. He worked with them on technologyand data analysis.

Dr. Becker is doing what I would hope a professor who cares about learning would do -he is expecting graduate work from graduate students, he is pushing students to take

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responsibility for their learning, he is working from a connectivist paradigm, and he isfacilitating a process of networked learning using digital opportunities and connections.Dr. Becker provided each class with a full and clear course outline and set of expectations in the online course site. Examples of student work were creative andthoughtful. Assignment descriptions indicated inclusion of writing and attention to social

justice issues.

Dr. Becker was an active participant in the revisions of the Masters and Post Masters'curriculum.

Based upon his willingness to lead the way in experimental teaching methods, hisextensive work with Ph.D. students, and his volunteer work with Ed.D. students, Ibelieve Dr. Becker deserves an excellent rating. I want to support risk taking andinnovation, particularly when I see that it is high quality development.

2011-2012 Evaluation: Excellent

Continuing Scholarship and Professional Growth

To examine Jonathans scholarship and professional growth, I examined hispublications and presentations. Dr. Becker was active in his scholarship this year, collaborating with colleagues both inand out of the department. As a co-author, he had two manuscripts accepted for publication in peer reviewed journals Immersive, interactive, web-enabled computer simulation as a trigger for learning: The Next Generation of Problem-based Learning inEducational Leadership in the Journal of Research on Leadership Education andThe Effectiveness of Simulation-based Learning in a Principal Preparation Program, tobe published in Planning and Changing .

Jonathan has an additional co-authored publication, a refereed book chapter --Engagement in an online video simulation in educational leadership inCutting-edge technologies in higher education. Volume 3: Increasing studentengagement and retention using immersive interfaces: Virtual worlds, gaming,and simulation. Two pieces of non-refereed but impactful scholarship are Onlinelearning in Virginia: Surveying the Landscape a MERC publication and Scholar 2.0:Public Intellectualism Meets the Open Web, in UCEA Review . In addition, he has hada book chapter accepted in Principal 2.0: Technology and Educational Leadership .

As of this writing, Dr. Becker has three articles out for review in peer reviewed journalsand is working on two other manuscripts to be submitted in Summer 2012.

In addition to his publications, five presentations of Dr. Beckers scholarship werepresented at four conferences, all of which are peer reviewed. Jonathan was alsoselected to present a paper at the VCU Online Learning Summer, May 14, 2012.

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Dr. Becker continues his digital scholarship, contributing to his blog and creating a newweb-based platform, The Virginia Education Report , to serve as an independent sourceon educational policy in Virginia.

Dr. Becker is funded through two grants, one that examines using scientific data aboutdaily life to link environmental issues to ecological processes in the secondary

classroom and another to develop a leadership simulation (Project All). The former grant is funded by the National Science Foundation and the latter by the U.S.Department of Education. He currently has a million dollar plus proposal to the Qatar National Research Fund being reviewed.

2011-2012 Evaluation: Excellent

Service and Professional Development

To examine Jonathans service, I asked for work he had done beyond what is normally

expected within the department, the school, the university, and with professionalorganizations as well as in the community. Dr. Becker spent considerable time inservice work this year, way beyond what an assistant professor is expected to perform.Much of his service work is at the University level, unusual for someone at his rank andan indication of the importance of his expertise.

School Level : Dr. Becker served on the search committee for the Department of Foundations, seeking a quantitative methodologist. He was also selected for the ad hoccommittee on SOE faculty evaluation.

University level: Jonathan was one of only 4 tenure-eligible faculty members across theentire university to be appointed to the Instructional Technology Advisory Group, acommittee that advises Dr. Marolla. Two additional committees also sought Dr.Beckers expertise on technology -- the Online Learning Advisory Board, and the Center for Teaching Excellence Online Course Development Initiative. Dr. Becker has made areputation for thinking deeply about the ways in which technology can increase studentlearning and this perspective is respected across the campus.

Professional level: Dr. Becker was elected to an office in the Virginia Professors of Educational Leadership Organization, a group in which he has shown considerableleadership. He was also asked by the University Council for Educational Administrationto advise the plenary body on ways to think about publishing given open web and opensource movements.

Dr. Becker involved himself in considerable professional development including regular attendance at CTE Brown Bat Workshops, attendance at three Unconferences(THATCamp, WordCamp, and EdCamp), and attendance at the SOE Researchcolloquium.

2011-2012 Evaluation: Excellent5


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Summary

Teaching (4) ExcellentResearch and Scholarly Activity (4) Excellent

Service (4) Excellent

Summary Rating

Dr. Beckers summary rating is Excellent. Dr. Becker's portfolio is strong and is of tenure quality.

Signed ______________________________________ Date: 10 May 2012Charol Shakeshaft, Ph.D.Chairperson, Educational Leadership

The faculty members signature below indicates that this document has been read andreviewed. It does not necessarily reflect agreement. If desired, the faculty member may submit response and attach it to this assessment.

Signed ______________________________________ Date _____________________ Dr. Jonathan Becker

Assistant Professor yes, attached no

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becker annual feedback final 11 june

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