The types of comments students make in an end-of-course evaluation were examined and compared with those identified in earlier studies on the ideal teacher. Congruent validity of such comments were documented with overall ratings of instructor/course quality as measured by fixed alternative items. (Author/GK)

Professors were interviewed to ascertain the evaluative information they collected about their professional activities. Student ratings were used by most faculty to evaluate their teaching. Almost all received peer reviews of research productivity. Qualitative evaluative information was seen as more credible than objective ratings when used for…

Faculty perceptions of student evaluative information collected by three methods (objective questionnaire items, open-ended questions, and group interviews) were investigated. Faculty regarded the evaluative information to be more credible, useful, and accurate for their own self-improvement than for promotion purposes. (Author/MLW)

Self-ratings and student ratings of 17 instructors were compared with student achievement on an externally constructed final examination. Instructor self-ratings and student ratings demonstrated good convergent validity during the second semester. Student ratings of the instructor's control of classroom correlated with achievement during the…

Faculty perceptions of simulated college student evaluative information collected by three methods were investigated: open-ended questions, group interviews, and objective questionnaire items. The objective items were from the Instructor and Course Evaluation System (ICES) student rating questionnaires. Open-ended questions were: (1) comment on…

In a study at the University of Illinois, student written comments to four open-ended questions in end-of-semester student evaluations of 60 courses from ten different fields, taught by instructors of different ranks, were analyzed and classified into 22 categories. Nearly two-thirds were about the instructor, and one of four comments were on…

Undergraduates and graduates indicated their degree of satisfaction with their major department. Two highly correlated factors, General Satisfaction with Major and Satisfaction with Mentorship, were obtained. Factor scores did not differ for class level, grade point average, sex, field of study, or reason for choosing their major. (Author/RD)

This book addresses issues in higher education faculty assessment with emphasis on the role of assessment in fostering development of individual faculty members and their institutions. Part 1 describes the role of faculty assessment with the first chapter outlining inadequacies in current approaches. The second chapter offers a perspective on…