Despite the movement in dentistry toward a system of professional peer review, dental educators appear highly resistant to evaluation by their colleagues. The University of Maryland Dental School has a comprehensive evaluation system involving evaluation of courses and instruction by students, program evaluations by individual departments, formal…

This study compared the research productivity of 97 senior staff members of geriatrics education centers and 91 faculty enrollees in a professional development program. Findings indicated that more senior educators (75 percent) than enrollees (40 percent) had published in the previous three years. (DB)

An optimal evaluation system should have five features if it is to both stimulate academic work and lead to fair decisions: clear expectations, feedback on performance, formative evaluation, summative evaluation, and differential rewards. Women and minorities were asked about their experiences in relation to these features. None had received…

Responding to enormous enrollment increases, Mexican universities were forced to hire faculty without a Licenciatura degree (corresponds to a United States bachelors degree) and so initiated faculty development activities (FDA) to enhance the performance of underqualified and new teachers. This study assessed the impact of one of these FDAs at the…

Compiled as part of a study of the managerial competencies of research librarians, this annotated bibliography includes sources that relate to the knowledges, skills, and attitudes of managerial personnel, with implications for research librarians. Sources pertaining to competency research methodology are also included. The bibliography is…

Reports on a study of 78 letters of recommendation for a higher education teaching position comparing letters written by women and men. Finds that the letters are written differently and vary by the applicant's gender. Also finds that women are much more likely than men to describe collegiality than intellect. (CFR)

Reports on a study of the impact of student evaluations of higher education economics instructors on faculty behavior and grades. Finds that initially grades increased but then declined over a nine-year period. Recommends further research on this issue. (CFR)

The influences of class size and the number of students completing surveys on faculty and course ratings were studied. For classes of 30 or more, a 50 percent response rate gives an acceptable indication of rating, while for a class of less than 30, about 80 percent return is needed. (Author/SW)

This study examined how the awarding of tenure affects senior professors' interests in teaching and research and whether effects are uniformly negative, positive or different depending on the task. A conceptual model was used that involved intrinsic interest and extrinsic rewards, work context, and individual background variables. Data were taken…

An attempt was made at Mountain Empire Community College to develop and implement an impartial and equitable method of faculty evaluation. As part of this process, an instrument was developed to provide both a quantitative and qualitative student rating of faculty. The instrument contains 10 questions covering the syllabus/course outline,…

Issues pertaining to the validity of student ratings of teacher effectiveness, research on "educational seduction," and implications of the research for the evaluation and improvement of teaching are reviewed. Criteria that have been used to validate student ratings include student achievement, faculty ratings, self-ratings, research productivity,…

Describes problems in faculty evaluation and performance appraisal and presents assumptions and features of newer alternative faculty evaluation systems. A strategy for developing systems which is based on organizational change theory is discussed. This system involves use of committees and structured phases for faculty input. (MBR)

This study examined effects of student evaluation of faculty teaching for 7 departments in the Faculty of Social Science at the University of Western Ontario over a 21-year period. The sample of teachers included 1322 faculty members who had taught undergraduate courses in one or more year between 1973-74 through 1993-94. The same 10-item teaching…

Reports on a study of efforts by 76 college economics departments to assess faculty teaching effectiveness. Discusses four assessment methods: (1) classroom visits; (2) teaching materials; (3) formal follow-up; and (4) informal soundings. Concludes that many feel uncomfortable with the evaluation process. (CFR)

The current practice of assigning and assessing college faculty workloads is analyzed briefly, and issues involved in developing a new process consistent with a broadened definition of faculty work are discussed. The professional portfolio is suggested as a structure for assigning and assessing faculty responsibilities in a collaborative and…