The Quantifying Teaching Effort and Effectiveness (QTEE) Working Group was first established at the 2019 RTA Biennial meeting as there was a recognized need to capture and quantify teaching efforts in academic settings. This calculator must capture efforts across a wide range of formats including didactic lectures, clinical teaching, integration of active learning, small group teaching, mentoring, exam grading and more. In addition, a component is desired that is independent of student evaluations that reflects quality of teaching.
Many iterations of the calculator were pursued and tested by the QTEE Working Group and an Excel spreadsheet-based calculator was developed that captured three primary areas of teaching: 1) instruction, 2) advising/mentoring, and 3) evidence of effort toward improvement of quality of teaching.
A QTEE workshop was incorporated into the 2023 RTA Biennial meeting that sought out feedback from meeting attendees on ease of use, accuracy of the calculator and applicability to their teaching. Feedback from attendees contributed to further edits and finalization of the calculator format.
Efforts in 2024 were focused on validating the instrument through development of a questionnaire to be distributed to RTA membership following IRB approval. The intent is to publish the calculator along with results of the questionnaire in the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, along with providing access to the calculator on the RTA website for download and modification to adapt to institutional needs.
Quantifying Teaching Effort and Effectiveness Committee Members:
Co-Chairs: Julie Dechant (UCD), Diana Hassel (CSU)
Members and Contributors:
- Maria Fahie
- Lane Johnson
- Erik Fausak
- Thomas Merino
- Erica Suchman
- Po-Yen Chou
- Jillian Haines
- Chrissy Eckstrand
- Teresa Morishita
- William Vernau
- Ana Alcarez
- Laura Waitt-Walker