Writing helpful recommendations

Writing Helpful Recommendations

and a little bit about where they come from

By Paul Brown

Why do we Write Recommendations at all?

• Recommendations are part of ensuring that the QM review process is:

• Continuous

• (ensuring that all courses meet expectations AND improve over time);

• Collegial

• (intended to be diagnostic);

• Collaborative

• (many ways to meet the standards and based on more than personal preference).

What is the basis for Recommendations?

Helpful Recommendation

Standard

AnnotationCourse Evidence

Characteristics

How are Helpful Recommendations related to the Standards?


Standard


Characteristics

Standard

Any helpful recommendation originates with the standards presented on the rubric

How do Annotations (on the Rubric) help with Writing Recommendations?


Standard


Characteristics

annotations

Show examples of how a standard can be

met and provide for what constitutes a

mismatch (or discrepancy) between the

standard and the course being reviewed

Provide specific and detailed

information about the standards

Present directions for reviewers to

ensure focus on the specific standard

being evaluated

On the rubric

What does “Course Evidence” mean for writing Recommendations?


Standard


Characteristics

Course evidence

Using “course evidence” means including location of the evidence, exact quotes from the selected evidence, and details to demonstrate the level of “MET” or “NOT MET” for each rubric standard.

Means working with specific examples from the course to establish clear foundations for a reviewer’s evaluation of “MET” or “NOT MET” for each of the rubric standards.

What makes a Recommendation “Helpful?”


Standard


Characteristics

characteristics

SensitiveConstructive

balancedmeasurablespecific

There are five characteristics of Helpful Recommendations

What makes a Recommendation “Helpful?” Helpful

Recommendation

Standard


Characteristics


measurablespecific

Recommendations must be Specific in

two different ways. The recommendations

need to refer to specific changes to be

made, specific assignments or learning

materials to be added (or altered), or how

these revisions will benefit learners and

the course in general. The

recommendations also need to be

specific in terms of how to address the

particular standards in question.

Recommendations must also be Measurable.

This means making suggestions that adhere

to components of the QM rubric and that the

changes must constitute a real change that

can be observed. An unmeasurable

recommendation such as “There should be

better alignment between assessments and

learning activities” is useless because “better”

is an arbitrary value and offers no indication

of what kind of change might work.

What makes a Recommendation “Helpful?” Helpful

Recommendation

Standard


Characteristics


SensitiveConstructive balanced

Good reviewer recommendations are Balanced between Constructive criticism and

Sensitivity to the context of a peer review. The best method is to present an example

of something the instructor has done well for every instance of something that

requires improvement—especially if that standard is marked as “NOT MET.”

This method ensures sensitivity to the fact that reviews are collegial because it

illustrates that the reviewer has thoroughly examined the course and noted portions

of successful work as a basis for establishing that the instructor is fully capable of

altering unsuccessful components to meet the standards.



Standard


Characteristics

Helpful recommendationsThe five Characteristics

balanced

Constructive Sensitive

measurablespecific

Helpful recommendations exhibit the following

characteristics: specific, measurable, balanced,

constructive, and sensitive.

Helpful recommendations originate with the

standards—which are elucidated by annotations on

the rubric—and refer to specific examples and course

evidence to establish the degree of “MET” or “NOT

MET” in relation to each standard.



Standard


Characteristics

Helpful recommendations

originate with the standards—Helpful recommendations

exhibit the following

characteristics:

specific,

measurable,

balanced,

constructive,

and sensitive.

which are further elucidated by

annotations on the rubric,

Helpful recommendations refer to specific examples and course evidence to

establish the degree of “MET” or “NOT MET” in relation to each standard.

The End

Education

Writing helpful recommendations