Can Students Be Objective?

Assessment is a major issue on most college campuses.  In the past decade, there has been greater emphasis placed on assessing the efficacy of programs, services and personnel.  The collection and analysis of assessment data has become central to accreditation and integral to the movement of greater accountability.

One type of assessment has been a part of higher education for decades.  At almost every college or university, the end of the semester is marked by student evaluation of courses and their professors.  These data are used by divisions and departments to assess curriculum and are critical for individual faculty members as they prepare to apply for tenure and/or promotion.

Recent research, however, reveals that these student evaluations may be less than objective.  In fact, there seems to be a high correlation between good evaluations and easy graders and good looking professors.

The most recent study was released by the National Bureau of Economic Research and conducted by three Ohio State professors.  They evaluated data from 50,000 enrollments in 400 different courses over a period of several years.  Their study indicates that easy teachers, not necessarily the best teachers, receive higher ratings.  Furthermore, they found little correlation between the level of learning and the level of the evaluation.

These results are consistent with a study consulted last year by professors at Central Michigan University.  They analyzed course evaluations from 7,000 faculty members from 370 colleges and universities in both the United States and Canada.  Their conclusion was that the professors rated as good teachers were “easy” and “hot.”  And in their study, being “hot” was better than being “easy.”

What can we conclude from these studies?  First, student evaluations should only be one form of teaching assessment.  Peer review is a critical assessment approach to determining the quality of instruction.  Experienced colleagues can provide an important assessment of the level of learning, the consistency with learning objectives, and the effectiveness of teaching style.

Second, students need to be instructed about the seriousness of these evaluations.  Perhaps they should be administered more frequently than just the end of the semester.  Students need to understand that these evaluations play a role in employment decisions and this “voice” should not be taken lightly or trivialized.

The greatest asset of every college and university is the faculty.  The intellectual capital of the faculty and the classroom experience are the signatures of a quality educational experience.  This is too important to be reduced to a popularity or beauty contest.

(As always, your comments and questions are welcome.)