A series of analyses on college students' assessments of their teachers and courses is continued in this review, with focus on the circumstances of rating (i.e., anonymity of student raters, purposes of ratings, presence of instructor during rating, timing, rating format, sampling). Issues of bias and comparability are also discussed. (LBH)

The author of a previously published article reporting a study clarifies the relationship of his own work to that of research completed earlier. The study extended the investigation of specific classroom techniques and their effects on student learning. (MSE)

A systematic analysis of extant studies reveals a very weak inverse association between the size of class enrollment in a college course and students' overall evaluation of the course and its teacher, as well as between class size and evaluations of instructor's skill in presenting material and communicating information. (Author/MLW)

Whether various correlates of within-class ratings are to be interpreted as biasing factors or as natural influences on social perception is analyzed in terms of whether students' ratings are objective descriptions or subjective, evaluative reactions. (An extensive bibliography is included.) (Author/LBH)

The instructor's preparation and organization, clarity and understandableness, stimulation of interest, motivation of students to reach high standards, encouragement of discussion and openness to others' opinions, and elocutionary skills consistently explain 10 percent or more of the variance in student achievement regardless of the method of…

This analysis attempts a systematic synthesis of the rather large body of research on college students' views on teaching and their assessment of the effectiveness of various attitudes, behaviors, and pedagogical practices of instructors. Characteristics of superior teachers are identified and analyzed. (Editor/LBH)

Based on a longer report with the same title, this digest summarizes current efforts to increase the quality of college teaching. The report uses a model that views strategies for improving instruction as helping motivate individual faculty members to improve their teaching by actively changing (and maintaining) certain of their instructional…

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)

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…

The relationship between the ratings college teachers receive from student evaluations and the seniority and instructional experiences of these teachers is investigated. The associations found between academic rank and global evaluations have generally been positive only and a possible explanation for this is offered. (Author/MLW)

Research on use of student evaluations of faculty as a source of information on good teaching is reviewed, and the differential importance of criteria expressed in the rating forms is discussed. It is concluded that while the data in the evaluations can have varied interpretations, they can also be an important source of information for…

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 report reviews the research and literature on the improvement of college teaching through use of a model that stresses a supportive teaching culture and helps motivate individual faculty members to improve their teaching by utilizing a variety of sources of informative feedback. The sources include: colleagues and consultants, department…