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…

An alternative method of approaching research on postsecondary learning and teaching that is designed to reduce redundancy is outlined, with illustrations from research on student ratings of courses and teachers and other topics. (MSE)

On many campuses, student ratings of courses and teachers are routinely given to instructors as feedback about their teaching. This review applies meta-analytic techniques to 30 studies of the effectiveness of student ratings feedback. The studies met the following criteria: (1) they used student ratings as the primary source of feedback; (2) they…

Students on many campuses regularly evaluate their courses, and reports of these evaluations are sent to their instructors. Such feedback should result in improved teaching and in more positive evaluations, yet neither informal observation nor systematic studies reveal sizable feedback effects. The true effects of feedback of this kind are modest,…

Traditional objections to student involvement and recent research supporting the validity of student comments are explored. The value of student comments depends upon asking appropriate questions: deciding what should be asked, what form the questions and results should take, and what use should be made of the information. (Author/MLW)

Results of a review of approximately 60 studies relevant to improving college teaching are considered, and a proposal for a study is presented. The interventions can be classified into four categories: workshops and seminars, grants for faculty projects, feedback from ratings by students, microteaching and minicourses, and protocol materials. It…

Research on instructional improvement interventions for college teachers is reviewed and implications for practice are briefly considered. Attention is directed to both the methodological soundness of the program evaluations and the findings of the studies. Interventions to assist faculty to change their teaching attitudes, roles, or activities…

This study assessed the feedback-seeking behaviors of faculty in their third year of employment at five colleges and universities. A total of 121 faculty completed a mailed questionnaire on their feedback- and information-seeking behaviors, and a subset of 86 responded to interview questions about feedback. Statistical analyses of the survey and…