Student evaluations of teaching (SETs) are widely used to measure teaching quality in higher education and compare it across different courses, teachers, departments and institutions. Indeed, SETs are of increasing importance for teacher promotion decisions, student course selection, as well as for auditing practices demonstrating institutional…

Comparisons of large samples of course and teaching evaluation questionnaire data show consistent disciplinary differences. The current study examined the disciplinary differences in a theoretical model positing the impact of the perceived nature of teaching and learning environment on the development of generic capabilities by testing of (1)…

A study conducted in Israel and the United States to develop a scale of students' satisfaction with college instruction, to assess the dimensions behind the scale, and to examine four predictors (sex, major, school year, and academic performance) that may affect satisfaction with instruction is presented. (Author/MLW)

The performance of minority and nonminority students in four successive entering classes at a highly selective college were compared. Graduation rates were comparable, but the two groups were found to be sharply differentiated with respect to cumulative grade point average. (Author/MLW)

A study compared the teaching behaviors of University of Tel Aviv (Israel) physics and chemistry faculty over two consecutive years, at mid- and end-semester. Findings indicate a high degree of stability in behaviors over time, with no clear-cut improvement during a semester except for faculty undertaking special instructional improvement…

Research on college students' evaluations of their male and female teachers is synthesized and compared with results of research on student evaluation of hypothetical male and female teachers. Results suggest the interaction of gender, teacher characteristics/behaviors, and student perceptions and expectations is complex. (MSE)

At a large university, faculty ratings in five academic areas were collected from two groups of students using paper-and-pencil or electronic survey administration. The two modes yielded similar factor patterns, with ratings influenced by academic area but not survey method. Students felt more anonymous using the paper-and-pencil method;…

College teachers' personality traits were grouped into 14 clusters of traits. Only 4 of 14 trait clusters showed statistically significant average correlations between the teacher's personality traits and students' overall evaluations. Studies measuring traits by the perception of the teacher's students or colleagues found statistically…

Results of a follow-up study of the same students used in the Feldman study indicate that individual student evaluations are remarkably stable over time and more reliable than previously assumed. There was systematic information in individual student ratings that internal consistency approaches have ignored or assumed to be nonexistent.…

Options examined were: programmed instruction, computer-assisted instruction, modular instruction, contingency management and contracting, personalized system of instruction, individually prescribed instruction, large lecture, and lecture-discussion. Results indicated differences in exposure to options and among areas of concentration. (Author/LBH)

Degree of profile similarity across specific evaluations was determined for studies comparing teachers' self-ratings with current student ratings, as were the relative and absolute similarity (or dissimilarity) for certain of the specific instructional dimensions. Implications were explored in terms of individual and subgroup differences.…

This study investigated the relative importance of 9 instructional factors (amount learned, exam fairness, enthusiasm, individual rapport, organization, assignments, group interaction, breadth of materials, course difficulty) in 229 college students' global evaluations of faculty effectiveness in 3 disciplines (accounting, education, geology).…

A study in one private university classified four academic disciplines as hard or soft and pure or applied, then compared student evaluations of courses for organization, breadth of coverage, group interaction, enthusiasm, grading, and individual rapport. Results suggest a single evaluation form may not be appropriate for all disciplines.…

A study of 42,407 college students' ratings of teachers in 5 departments and at 4 instructional levels (first-year through graduate study) revealed that perceptions of improvements needed in teaching skills varied significantly according to instructional level, class size, and discipline. Implications for college administration and instructional…