Using student evaluations of teaching (SET) to measure teaching effectiveness is controversial. This study explores the effects of memorizing student names on SET ratings and uses the halo effect as a theoretical foundation for the hypothesized outcome. Past research has suggested that tactics that connote flattery facilitate a halo effect, which…

This study compares student evaluations across face-to-face and online modalities, as well as qualitative versus quantitative courses, in a large sample of graduate-level courses from 2008 to 2023 at a US business school. The findings reveal significantly lower course and instructor evaluation ratings despite similar class performance in online…

College instructors with highly functional autism, also known as Asperger's, can have difficulty interacting with students. To mitigate the potentially reduced teaching ratings, college instructors must decide whether to reveal their condition to the students. Using a survey of 393 university business students, the hypothesis was that instructors…

This article systematically examines differences between student and faculty perspectives on quality instruction, using local data for a regional university's college of business matched to RateMyProfessors.com evaluations. Particular attention is focused on gender bias, "hotness," and "easiness." In addition to documenting a…

Considerable debate continues regarding the efficacy of the website RateMyProfessors.com (RMP). To date, however, virtually no direct, experimental research has been reported which directly bears on questions relating to sampling adequacy or item adequacy in producing what favorable correlations have been reported. The authors compare the data…

The authors examined student responses to faculty traits. Earlier findings revealing a preference for male instructors were obtained before female faculty and students were prevalent on college campuses and may have reflected a male demographic similarity effect. It was hypothesized that students would more favorably evaluate faculty who were…

Although student evaluations of teaching (SETs) have been the subject of numerous research studies, the salience of SET items to students has not been examined. In the present study, the authors surveyed 484 students from a large public university. The authors suggest that not all items are viewed equally and that measures of item salience can…

This article provides a detailed statistical analysis of a process intended to demonstrate continuous improvement in teaching at an AACSB accredited college of business. The Educational Testing Service's SIR II student evaluation instrument was used to measure teaching effectiveness. A six-year longitudinal analysis of the SIR II results does not…

With the proliferation of Web sites that allow students to praise or disparage their instructors depending on their whims, instructors across the country essentially are becoming subjects of comparison shopping by prospective students. Using a sample survey of 258 students majoring in business at a public university on the west coast of the United…

The author examined the student evaluation of teaching instrument used in the College of Business Administration at Georgia Southern University (GSU) to determine which traits have the greatest impact on students' overall rating of all individual instructors. Using exploratory factor analysis, the author found that the overall instructor rating is…

The purpose of this study was to address some of the most common questions and concerns regarding RateMyProfessors.com (RMP). Data from 5 different universities and 1,167 faculty members showed that (a) the ratings are not dominated by griping, (b) the summary evaluation correlates highly with summary evaluations from an official university…

In this article, the authors examine the effects of style of dress, forms of address, and gender of the stimulus person on business students' perceptions of professors' attributes. Student participants (125 women, 132 men) rated the stimulus person on indexes of attractiveness, trustworthiness, credibility, and likeability. Style of dress and form…

The author reviews the literature relating to student evaluations of faculty. She addresses the issues of reliability and validity. The appropriateness of various evaluation forms is discussed and a recent experiment testing the validity of a particular student evaluation form is described. (CH)

A survey investigated whether students (n=225) perceive any difference between attributes of their favorite versus effective teachers. Responses indicate that students do distinguish between popularity and effectiveness and that there are differences between male and female perceptions. (JOW)

Student evaluations of university accounting instructors are not necessarily valid. Students rarely can offer their true opinion because the evaluation questions are written by instructors or administrators. Also, students usually do not know what material should be covered. (JOW)