Myths And Facts About Student Surveys Of Teaching The Links Between Students Evaluations Of Faculty And Course Grades

Abstract

The present study sought to examine the justification of faculty claims regarding bias in students’ assessments of faculty performance that stem from external factors which do not include the quality of their teaching. Specifically, we sought to examine the hypothesis that there is a correlation between lecturer ranking and grades given by lecturers and between lecturer rankings, grades, and background variables. The framework of the research is the combination of three different stages: faculty, course, lecturer and the statistical manipulation, creating a complex image of reality and thereby offering an answer to the most classical question in the research literature. Findings of this study indicate that the alleged correlation between the students’ grades and the lecturers is non-existent, and nothing but a myth amongst the academic body. However, the research still points out that there are some additional elements which are beyond the efficiency of teaching as we tap into different levels of interaction between student and lecturer.