Student Evaluations Of Faculty: Concerns And Possible Solutions

Abstract

Student evaluations of university instruction have long been used to evaluate the teaching performance of instructors of all ranks. In spite of the widespread use of the data acquired from student evaluations for the purpose of determining faculty teaching effectiveness, a review of the literature in the area indicates that questions concerning the validity and usefulness of such evaluations remain unanswered. With the pervasiveness use of student evaluations, it is doubtful that substantial changes in the system are going to be implemented across the country soon. This research reviews the major problems that have been identified in student evaluations of faculty, and suggests some possible methods to increase the validity of teaching evaluations without major changes to the current systems of evaluation of faculty. Any changes to teaching evaluations, which would increase the usefulness of student evaluations of faculty, would benefit both college students and faculty. Administrators of colleges and universities for some time have stressed the importance of a marketing orientation (Bush, Ferrell & Thomas, Jr., 1998; Moore 2004). Students are one of the consumer groups interested in the product of a college education, and students’ opinions are considered a vital source of information concerning the quality of instruction at colleges and universities.