Increasingly, attention is being turned toward the actions of students in relation to feedback. This paper presents the outcomes of a questionnaire study researching what undergraduate and postgraduate architecture students perceive as the purpose of feedback, how they use feedback on their coursework, and what makes them more likely to act on it.…

This study examined how effectively candidates in an MSEd in literacy education with a focus on reading program used the results from the Basic Reading Inventory to develop key instructional recommendations. The results indicated that, overall, candidates made about two thirds of the key recommendations suggested by an expert in the area of…

To determine if students engaged in rating faculty members used different cognitive sets as a function of the explicit purpose for which ratings were obtained. A field experiment was conducted involving 141 graduate students. Results indicate that the purpose of assessment fails to influence the pattern of faculty ratings provided by students.…

The utilization of program evaluation may be made more effective by means of the application of contemporary persuasion theory. The Elaboration Likelihood Model--a model of cognitive processing, ability, and motivation--was used in this study to test the persuasive effects of source credibility and involvement on message acceptance of evaluation…

Ways to interpret data from student ratings of teacher performance and approaches to maximize the use of student ratings are considered, based on the experiences of the Center for Instructional Development and Research (CIDR) at the University of Washington (UW). The use of student ratings at UW and other colleges is briefly considered, along with…

Graduate students simulated school board members making decisions about educational programs. Situation contexts within the program evaluation reports were varied by conflict, quality, and time. The quality of decisions affected support for program continuation. Interactions of conflict and quality affected need for more information and more time…

Three exploratory studies involving 116 students examined the relevance of a developmental model for approaching supervision of graduate students in evaluation studies. The model includes three stages and eight developmental tasks in each stage. Three case studies support using the developmental model in conceptualizing student progress. (SLD)

The Brigham Young University-Public School Partnership is cited as a good example of collaborative efforts in the National Network for Educational Renewal because of the length and nature of its history, which encompasses partnerships with five school districts. During the Partnership's 13-year history, informal evaluations had been conducted but…

Evaluators usually assume that the data they receive are valid, or at least, that the data reflect that which is being evaluated. In a recent evaluation in a large southern school district, evaluators compared their raw interview notes with interview notes edited by the teachers interviewed or project staff. The program evaluated was Project SEED,…

A guide to the evaluation and improvement of teaching was developed by the University of Washington Committee on the Evaluation and Improvement of Teaching and the university's Instructional and Faculty Development Board. The handbook contains questions and problems that departments are likely to confront in designing an evaluation program…

The use of exit surveys at the University of Washington was investigated. Objectives were to identify (1) how many departments or programs employed department-generated exit surveys to gather information from graduating students, (2) the type of information collected and its use by departments, and (3) criteria for determining the usefulness of an…

This study was conducted to examine the usefulness of survey results and the ways in which the results were used, and to gather recommendations for improving the surveys and/or the reports. The Student Satisfaction Survey (SSS) was developed to assess undergraduate students' attitudes toward their major areas, their departments, and the University…