This paper examines empirically the determinants of student evaluation of teaching (SET). Empirical models were specified and estimated using the SET data collected in Hong Kong over six academic years. A key finding is that three different origins of students had a differentiated impact on teaching evaluation. In particular, students from…

There is now a worldwide focus on the quality of university teaching and yet there is general dissatisfaction in universities with the student evaluation of teaching system. Peer observation of teaching seems to hold much promise in the assessment of teaching quality, but such observation pays little attention to the quality of teaching as…

One way that universities assess teaching effectiveness is by eliciting student feedback. However, what standards do students themselves use to judge whether a lecturer is a 'good' teacher? As part of a study carried out at a Hong Kong university, students were interviewed about their first-year learning experience and asked what they felt…

Recent global university rankings show that many Hong Kong universities are among the top 100 in the world. However, they are constantly under fire for the persistent outdated pedagogies in higher education. Because economic education is so highly regarded in Hong Kong as an international business hub, introductory economics has been taken as the…

Evaluation of teaching in higher education has drawn much attention due to the need for greater accountability and improvement in student learning. Our review of literature on Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) surveys suggests that considerable controversy and criticism have surrounded its use, fairness, and validity. Yet, many universities in…

Comparisons of large samples of course and teaching evaluation questionnaire data show consistent disciplinary differences. The current study examined the disciplinary differences in a theoretical model positing the impact of the perceived nature of teaching and learning environment on the development of generic capabilities by testing of (1)…

In higher education, student evaluation of teaching is widely used as a measure of an academic's teaching performance despite considerable disagreement as to its value. This paper begins by examining the merit of teaching evaluations with reference to the factors influencing the accuracy of the teaching evaluation process. One of the central…

Using a large data set collected in Hong Kong, this study examined how Chinese students behave in the course evaluation process. Results suggest that Chinese students, like their Western counterparts, are able to distinguish separate dimensions of teaching quality. Due to their cultural background, however, they pay more attention in their…

Tested the dimensionality of a course evaluation instrument and examined the association between course participants' level of satisfaction and their likelihood of recommending the course to others. Findings for 9,101 teachers in Hong Kong show that the developed survey is capable of measuring a satisfaction factor. (SLD)

Analysis of interviews with 55 undergraduate university students in Hong Kong finds student perceptions of teaching quality fit into four categories, or quadrants, formed from the interactions between their beliefs about learning (passive or active) and about teaching (transmissive or nontraditional). Results confirm the significance of implicit…

Examined the multivariate effects of various course characteristics on student ratings of faculty at a Hong Kong university. Data consisted of 4996 course average ratings from 25 departments over two academic years. Significant differences were found in student ratings across academic disciplines, class size groups, course levels, types of course,…

The applicability of a Chinese translation of the Students' Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ) (H. W. Marsh, 1982 and later) and the generality of findings based on North American research were studied with 844 students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Results support the use of the SEEQ in this Chinese setting. (SLD)

Surveys of 397 students and 82 faculty in four Hong Kong universities elicited opinions and beliefs about the role and value of foundational knowledge, teacher/student relationships, teaching processes, how faculty characterize Chinese learners, and attribution of responsibility for teaching effectiveness. Differences in Chinese and Western…

Study analyzes three dimensions of teaching quality perceived by Chinese students in Hong Kong, China: satisfaction with lecturing; satisfaction with course-design; and a self-rated measure of effort devoted to studying. Results reveal that the strongest effect on course ratings came from students' judgment of aspects of course design and…

This paper describes an evaluation study conducted on a student evaluation of teaching form and evaluation process newly instituted at a university in Hong Kong. The study used an integrated design with both quantitative and qualitative methods and collected information from a variety of stakeholders. The major focus of the paper is on the diverse…