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How To Evaluate Online Instructors Effectively

May 16, 2024

Students sitting in the back of a classroom watching a lecture

Even in the best-case scenarios, an online classroom requires more precise and effective management than other educational settings. Teachers have to connect with kids without the benefit of face-to-face interactions, while also finding ways to harness their students’ (usually limited) attention spans. 

Virtually engaging students takes finesse, and effective online instructor evaluation is a way to gauge the teacher’s aptitude for this specialized role. If the online instructor isn’t suited for the job, the students’ academic performance will eventually suffer. 

Here, we’ll look at how evaluations support virtual teachers, which factors to consider, and how to design better rubrics for more accurate assessments. 

Why You Should Evaluate Online Instructors 

Effective evaluation is a staple for student success. It’s the only way to understand how individual teacher performances impact your school’s larger operations, and it also helps you support your virtual teachers and better meet their needs. 

For example, if an online instructor consistently glosses over conduct rules, the students may eventually lose respect for not just the instructor but the academic institution by extension. 

Or, if the online math teacher only has a surface-level understanding of pre-calculus, the students may flounder when their calculus teacher is a subject-matter expert. 

While there are few nationwide studies on online learning, students generally report positive feelings for virtual classes. There is also some evidence that virtual classrooms may be better for non-traditional learners because they’re more flexible and convenient than traditional settings. 

Regular evaluations can lead to better teaching practices and, more importantly, stronger relationships between students and the school. The more invested the student is in their education, the more likely they’ll develop a lifelong appreciation for learning. 

Factors To Consider When Evaluating Online Instructors 

Evaluations for online instructors should encompass more than just looking at their students’ grades. Let’s examine the different facets you should cover, so you can map out your online course evaluations. 

Clear Evaluation Criteria 

Evaluations vary from school to school, depending on their value systems. After all, a didactic teacher and a Socratic teacher take very different approaches to presenting the course materials. As long as their methods align with their academic institution, whether it’s grade school or higher education, the criteria should reflect the school’s larger tenets. 

For example, you might list student engagement, technical proficiency, content delivery, and rapport as your top criteria. From there, you’ll need a clear way to measure whether the teacher hit the mark. 

This may mean defining student engagement as at least 50% of the class taking part in an open discussion. Or you might quantify the teacher’s technical proficiency via a short virtual demonstration. 

When evaluating online teaching, clear expectations reduce unnecessary confusion and unpleasant surprises. Teachers know what to focus on, and evaluators don’t have to interpret subjective or otherwise vague questions. 

Student Feedback

Students often perceive more than faculty do, even if it’s not always easy for them to articulate. Effective questionnaires use prompts to drill down into how well the teacher communicated and motivated their students. 

For example, you might use a scale survey where students rate their teacher’s learning activities from 1–5. Or you might design open-ended questions where you ask students how the instructor might have created a better learning environment.

Even the best evaluation forms can’t safeguard against all arbitrary complaints, such as those stemming from inevitable personality conflicts. But they can help you bypass many of the pitfalls. If you begin to see alarming patterns across student responses, these pain points can be the springboard to a better approach. 

Peer Reviews 

School leaders who evaluate virtual classrooms may not have much real-life teaching experience to draw upon. Peer evaluations invite fresh perspectives from colleagues — hopefully ones with expertise in online learning. 

Their comments and insights can help an instructor see the course design through new eyes. Stray observations, official forms, and open discussions all provide online instructors with a more thorough understanding of their impact on students’ academic journeys. 

For fairer and more constructive peer review, colleagues might begin by reviewing the course materials, learning objectives, and assignments. Or they might observe a session to get a better sense of their colleague’s teaching style. You might even have them peruse completed coursework to assess the students’ grasp on the syllabus’ subject matter. 

In addition to professional development, peer reviews encourage stronger relationships between colleagues. This type of lateral support and connection is a proven way to help virtual instructors avoid the dreaded teacher burnout. 

Self-Evaluation 

Self-evaluations ask educators to reflect on their teaching practices and how they impact student performance. If the instructor struggles in certain areas, this exercise can help them fully explain what the problems are and where they might start making improvements.

Common self-evaluation questions include:

  • Did the course content promote a strong understanding of the material?
  • Were all students supported, particularly those with non-traditional learning styles?
  • How did the available technology facilitate learning, and was it utilized properly?
  • Did students feel comfortable disagreeing or voicing their concerns?
  • Was sufficient intervention provided for students who fell behind?

While a school leader’s evaluation and a self-evaluation may look very different, the teacher’s answers can serve as a jumping-off point to reconcile any discrepancies.  

Student Performance Data 

From course completion rates to GPA to standardized tests, performance data reveals how students engaged with the online class material. As you go through the numbers, ensure that your data is both accurate and weighted. 

For example, you may deem GPA as less important than state scores. Or you might judge the teacher’s efficacy based on how much student comprehension has improved since last year, rather than comparing it to national averages. 

However you frame student performance data, you’re evaluating whether students are ready to climb the next rung of the ladder — whether that’s first grade or their first internship. 

Best Practices for Online Teaching Evaluation Processes 

The more structured and consistent your evaluations are, the better the conclusions will be. These best practices can help you develop an effective system. 

Regular, Consistent Evaluation 

Regular evaluations set expectations early on for online instructors. Plus, as technology changes, these evaluations often spark meaningful discussions that benefit everyone in the school. 

For example, as more teachers leave the profession, you might have higher demands for remote instructors in five years. The findings you uncover today can serve as benchmarks for introducing new learning models into the school system to support the future increase in online courses. 

Technically, online learning dates back to the 1960s, though you’ll be hard-pressed to find online instructors with more than a decade of experience. Consistent evaluations make it possible to evolve, regardless of where academic trends lead. 

We recommend a minimum of annual evaluations for all online instructors. However, you might consider bi-annual evaluations for instructors with three years of experience or fewer. 

Evaluating even your most experienced online teachers reveals what instructors need to do their jobs more effectively. This leads to better online teaching experiences across the board and reduces teacher burnout.

Constructive Feedback 

Constructive feedback helps online instructors formulate better strategies for professional improvement. So it’s important to ensure your recommendations are specific, actionable, and supportive. 

If students’ test scores reveal that the majority are struggling with a particular concept, you might advise the online instructor to spend two weeks on that complex topic, rather than just one. Or you might ask them to add more group work to the syllabus to encourage collaboration. 

Whether it’s a technical suggestion, like implementing automated test reminders, or an interpersonal one, such as rewarding students who improve, the feedback should clearly connect back to the evaluation findings. 

In addition, you should tailor the feedback language to the online instructor. In other words, you don’t necessarily need a compliment sandwich with the criticism in the middle. Be direct and clear with your instructors, so they know what they can do to right the ship. 

Professional Development 

Evaluations should inspire personalized professional development opportunities for online instructors. So, instead of making generic suggestions or remarks, school leaders should leverage their positions and expertise to provide professional support based on the evaluation results. 

For example, if the main concern is the teacher’s inability to retain student focus, you might invite the teacher to observe the methodologies of other online instructors. Or, if students feel isolated from one another, the teacher might attend a webinar on how to create more social virtual environments. 

Some of the most important factors for student success include the teacher’s authoritative presence, subject matter expertise, and consistency. Continuing education opportunities encourage teachers to hone these lifelong skills, whether in-person or via a screen. 

Transparency and Fairness 

We all have hidden biases, so transparency and fairness are not always as straightforward as they may seem. The best way to prevent possible data corruption is to set measurable goals and, if possible, recruit multiple people to evaluate the instructor’s abilities. 

If student evaluations report that the teacher isn’t explaining the materials well enough, a peer evaluation may confirm this, or it may reveal that students aren’t prepared to handle the topics. These distinctions provide a clearer understanding of the classroom dynamics, so the instructor isn’t reprimanded for a situation outside their control. 

Produce Better Quality Education Through Online Instructor Evaluations

Effective online instructor evaluations lead to better quality education, and they’re more important than ever before. With so many states experiencing teacher shortages, virtual teaching is often the best solution to the dearth of qualified local applicants. 

To implement better strategies and tools, educational leaders and faculty members need to take a microscope to their criteria and techniques. The metrics need to reflect not just the school’s values but also practical questions about student progression. 

By applying these tips, you can flesh out each bullet point so everyone has a clear idea of how to move forward.


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