IM APP 1-24
Student Performance Appraisal
Writing a performance appraisal of their own class work, conduct, and contributions helps prepare
students for this inevitable assignment in their own careers. It also trains students to be more astute
observers of their own classroom performance. This activity can be conducted in several ways, depending
on goals and on the time an instructor wants to devote to it. It can be introduced as a term project with an
overview of the course, or connected to upward communication, organizational culture, workplace
climate, unequivocal terms, interviews, group skills or meetings (such as nominal group technique).
The instructor could, using the sample formats provided below, simply assign a performance appraisal, as
some employers do. This approach is quick, but students may not benefit as much from it. A second
strategy is to collect ideas from students individually or in small groups. The instructor could then write
the assignment based on the students’ ideas. A third method is for the instructor to facilitate but to allow
students near total responsibility for brainstorming, reaching consensus on the desired characteristics for
class conduct, and creating and writing the appraisal assignment. Choose the method that best matches
your available time and goals.
Objectives. Students will be able to perform the following activities successfully:
1. Think critically about and define what constitutes effective classroom conduct.
2. Take responsibility for monitoring their own progress toward identified goals.
3. Practice and gain competence in using language effectively to describe their own
performance.
4. Periodically reflect on, monitor, and improve classroom performance.
5. Recognize, give concrete examples of, and build on their strengths.
6. Establish individual and common goals for classroom and individual learning.
7. Develop skills in presenting and discussing ideas and reaching consensus
8. Improve group discussion and interaction skills.
Ask students to reflect and focus on, discuss, and debate what it means to be a professional or an ideal
member of the class. How would a good student conduct herself or himself? What are the traits that make
a student a competent class member?
An appraisal of “soft skills” may be less tangible, less measurable, and less subject to a numerical rating
than other, more statistically measurable skills. However, supervisors frequently appraise these skills and
ask employees to do the same. Students who can make generalizations about their own performance, and
back up their appraisals with specific examples of how they’ve demonstrated these skills will have an
advantage in their careers. Encourage students to peruse the text and determine some important
competencies that could be appraised.
Procedure
1. Describe the nature of performance evaluations as they are frequently used in business. Then, tell
students that they are going to be writing their own performance appraisal as a member of the
business and professional communication class.
2. Ask students to think about the characteristics of an ideal/professional member of this class that
should be appraised. At this point, instead of Step 3, you could use one of these options:
a. Act as facilitator while the class brainstorms and then reaches consensus.
b. Ask students to come back to the next class with five characteristics written down, then
go to Step 2a or Step 3.
c. Have each student write characteristics on Post-it® notes or index cards, one per card.
Collect them all, and have volunteers create a master list, getting rid of overlap and
duplicates.