Student Evaluations of Teaching: Higher Ed’s “6th Vital Sign” (1 Class A CE)

Student evaluations of teaching (SET) are embedded in the traditions, customs, and governance of higher education institutions. Debate in the academic community related to summative SET focuses on the accuracy and validity of the data gathered and then correlated to the quality of teaching1. Student evaluations of teaching are used to assess the quality of teaching, but do they provide an accurate measure of student learning or are they a measure of student biases and preferences? Most higher education institutions use SET to assess and improve the teaching effectiveness of their faculty. The usefulness and validity of SET have been frequently challenged by the academic community as being flawed and prejudiced2. A review of the literature reveals that SET are affected by multiple factors including the instructor’s gender, race/ethnicity, and physical attributes or the challenge demand of a difficult curriculum. Instructors often feel pressured to reduce academic rigor in their courses to improve scores on their SET. This presentation examines the concerns with SET and will summarize the research associated with it. It will provide recommendations to instructors and academic institutions regarding the interpretation and the use of end-of-term SET to improve teaching and learning.