Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Faculty perception of improvements to instructional practices in response to student ratings

  • Published:
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Enhancing quality of instruction can be defined as the main purpose of instructional evaluation procedures in universities. Many universities collect and analyze feedback information from student ratings for the purpose of instructional improvement. Nevertheless, concrete research evidence is still needed to explore whether this purpose has been actually achieved. This study investigated the perceived role that student ratings actually played in making improvements in instructional practices within the context of a public research university. The population comprised 1,139 professors, associate professors, senior lecturers, and lecturers. The responses were subjected to descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, one-way ANOVA, and independent t test. The findings uncovered faculty responsiveness to student ratings and identified specific practices that they modified in response to results from student ratings. The findings also took cognizance of the respondents' recommendations in order to boost the quality of instruction such as augmenting feedback from student ratings by instructional consultation and providing written explanations to assist higher education faculty in interpreting the results.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abrami, P. C. (2001). Influencing judgments about teaching effectiveness using teacher rating forms. New Directions for Institutional Research, 109, 59–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crosson, A. C., Boston, M., Levison, A., Matsumura, L. C., Matsumura, L. C., & Resnick, L. B. (2006). Beyond summative evaluation: the instructional quality assessment as a professional development tool (CSE Technical Report 691). Los Angeles: National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Buchner, A., & Lang, A. G. (2007). Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behavior Research Methods, 41(4), 1149–1160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franklin, J., & Theall, M. (2002). Faculty thinking about the design and evaluation of instruction. In N. Hativa & P. Goodyear (Eds.), Teacher thinking, beliefs and knowledge in higher education. Dordrecht: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gall, A. R. (2004). Faculty perceptions of the effects of student evaluations of teaching on higher education instructional practices and instructor morale. Doctoral dissertation, Marshall University, Huntington, USA.

  • Gravestock, P., & Gregor-Greenleaf, E. (2008). Student course evaluations: research, models and trends. Toronto: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, S. (2002). Student Evaluation and Teaching (SETL) Policy and Guidelines. Retrieved 15 January 2012 from http://acserv.admin.utas.edu.au/acservices/meetings/talc/Appendix/2_02C2.doc

  • Lewis, K. G. (2001). Using midsemester student feedback and responding to it. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 87, 33–44. doi:10.1002/tl.26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh, H. W., & Roche, L. A. (1997). Making students' evaluations of teaching effectiveness effective: the critical issues of validity, bias, and utility. American Psychologist, 52(11), 1187–1197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh, H. W., & Roche, L. A. (1993). The use of students' evaluations and an individually structured intervention to enhance university teaching effectiveness. American Educational Research Journal, 30(1), 217–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murray, H. G. (2005). Student evaluation of teaching: Has it made a difference? Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Charlottetown. Prince Edward Island

  • Murray, H. G. (1997). Does evaluation of teaching lead to improvement of teaching? International Journal of Academic Development, 2(1), 8–2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ory, J.C. (2001). Faculty thoughts and concerns about student ratings. In Techniques and strategies for interpreting student evaluations (pp. 3–15). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

  • Spencer, P. A., & Flyr, M. L. (1992). The formal evaluation as an impetus to classroom change: myth or reality? (report no. JC 920 441). Riverside: Riverside Community College.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stratton, R. W., & Myers, S. C. (1994). Faculty behavior, grades, and student evaluations. Journal of Economic Education, 25(1), 5–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wachtel, H. K. (1998). Student evaluation of college teaching effectiveness: a brief review. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 29(2), 191–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seyedeh Azadeh Safavi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Safavi, S.A., Bakar, K.A., Tarmizi, R.A. et al. Faculty perception of improvements to instructional practices in response to student ratings. Educ Asse Eval Acc 25, 143–153 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-013-9160-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-013-9160-3

Keywords

Navigation