No one has a bigger stake in teaching effectiveness than students. Nor are there any better experts on how teaching is experienced by its intended beneficiaries. Only recently have many policymakers and practitioners come to recognize that--when asked the right questions, in the right ways--students can be an important source of information on the…

Purpose: To present a framework to facilitate comprehension of research on the effectiveness of the teaching evaluation process. Design/methodology/approach: A comprehensive review of the literature that identifies common categories and factors that can be used to construct an analytical framework. Findings: Identifies student related, course…

Describes the development and improvement of a set of programs and programming techniques which made possible the effective "microcomputerization" of practically an entire university's professor evaluation process at very little cost to the institution. Sample output and program listing are included. (JN)

Shows that requiring students to evaluate the business communication course in a memo to the teacher gives students writing practice while ensuring total feedback about the course from all the students. (RL)

Maintains that more valid student evaluations of teacher performance on the college level will result if evaluation questionnaires reflect specific teaching situations and student cohorts. The Echo technique (which is based on reflecting evaluative comments in the student's own words) is suggested as a means of producing more valid evaluations.…

Recounts an elementary school principal's interviews with 487 graduating sixth graders regarding their single, most vivid school experience and the qualities characterizing their best teacher and their favorite teacher (names not identified). The survey disclosed eight professional teaching qualities of "best" teachers (listed in inset). (MLH)

Examines the effectiveness of different forms of questionnaires utilized to evaluate teachers and courses by comparing the use of individual questions with that of global questions. Discusses findings related to specific improvements in the design of student questionnaires. (Author/JJK)

Describes an evaluation form and a rationale for using the form in a variety of mass communication skills courses. (RL)

A sample of 202 students filling in a student evaluation of teaching (SET) questionnaire were asked to complete another questionnaire asking about the specific reasons for awarding a score to the specific SET questionnaire items. The aim was to find out what influenced students' judgements on those items. It was found that students' interpretation…

The development of nine student-constructed lecture feedback questionnaires, whose objective is to help teachers identify general weaknesses and strengths and then further analyze them by breaking down these characteristics into specific associated behaviors is described. Teacher reaction to their use is discussed. (MSE)

Discusses the construction and use of criterion-referenced student feedback instruments which make specific reference to course objectives and allow the instructor to determine student perceptions on how well these objectives are achieved. (RAO)

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)

Questions whether a single course evaluation instrument should be used to evaluate all courses. Studies the effects of item relevance and the instructions to students to pay attention to item relevance when evaluating the course. Finds that ratings of instruction were a function of item relevance only when students were instructed to pay attention…

To identify reasons for peer evaluation of college teaching being more honored in rhetoric than in practice, events that occurred on the campus of a prominent public research university are described and suggestions offered as to why peer evaluation is not often practiced. A Committee on Teaching Effectiveness was appointed in response to…

Evaluating faculty effectiveness is important in institutions of higher education. Although evaluation is inherently threatening to most faculty members, the vast majority take their assignments seriously and want to conduct them as effectively as possible. Assessing faculty performance is a complex and time-consuming process. If it is done poorly…