There are many ways to collect information about college teaching. Many are quick, easy, and unintrusive, and are valuable supplements to the standard source of information, student ratings. A matrix of data needs and corresponding sources of course, instructor, and student information helps refine the information gathering process. (MSE)

For student rating data to be useful in improving college teaching, consultants and faculty need to know how different evaluative purposes effect evaluation results, and they must be able to interpret and use the data at hand. A series of steps should be followed to help ensure valid data interpretation. (MSE)

When faculty evaluation systems are proposed, students, faculty, and administrators often think only of questionnaires and assignment of data-processing tasks. Much more must be considered, including balancing the needs of all constituencies, designing student-rating forms and administration procedures, and the treatment and uses of the…

Those who develop and use student faculty rating systems have an obligation to make them support good practice. Effectively communicating evaluation results to higher education policymakers includes helping them understand system goals and what is needed to achieve them. Training information users in the skills of using the information is…

Ways in which various student and program assessment tools can assist the academic advising function are discussed. Such tools include student test scores and interest assessments, analysis of advising interviews, administrative data on student progress and advising "flow," and student achievement measures. Information drawn from personal contact…