University and college faculty in the United States undergo student evaluations on a regular basis. Indeed, they are evaluated 6–8 times every year, depending on the number of sections they teach.
Some researchers have questioned the efficacy of student evaluations, suggesting that students are not sufficiently competent to differentiate good teaching from bad, with others noting that the rise in student evaluations is positively correlated with grade inflation.
Here's the question: Can anyone seriously believe that a faculty member's teaching might change so rapidly that he or she must be evaluated half a dozen times year after year?
Hi, James,
At my institution, we utilize IDEA for student evaluations that gives us the opportunity to compare individual instructor ratings against national and disciplinary norms. Factor analysis of student responses indicates that IDEA is explaining a single construct - the students' perceptions of whether or not the instructor has created a classroom climate in which the student can learn. The frequency of student evaluations is not to measure, in my view, the rapidity of change, but the trend of change over time.
Students' evaluations, from my experience, are indicator of the classroom instructional environment which can develop or hinder student willing to participate as the tutors break the walls between them and their students and between the students themselves. Students mostly admire friendly, fair, firm tutors. Good students rarely misjudge good tutors, only irresponsible careless students do that if frustrated. Leadership and management are important in classroom.
This is a good question. First of all, I have been given high evaluations all through my career at my last university from which I retired. However, I think that I must give an honest scientific account of what is going on.
Many students are not fit enough to evaluate their teachers since the majority of them strive for high grades so a lecturer will be great, in their eyes, if s/he is generous in giving "A or B" marks.
Add to it that there are few students, who expect failure in some courses, so they will be "ridiculous" in evaluating even the most excellent teachers of such courses.
Only the best students, say 10 in a class of 40 , ought to be allowed to participate in evaluating a teacher.
Repeated evaluation of a given teacher is a sure way of wasting efforts, times, and money. You cannot judge that sea water is salty by tasting it several times!
At some universities in 3rd world countries, administrations do not care to read students' evaluations of academics unless they hate some ones so they will follow the evaluations of these persons specifically. If students give good evaluations, then they will not be pleased. If students give "bad" evaluations of the targeted academics, then they will use that against them.
It is really pity that teaching has become a choice of profession.
I personally believe that teaching is just beyond a profession.
You must have in you the best to positively influence your students.
Since it has become a choice of profession, Yes I believe those teachers who chose to become a teacher by profession must be evaluated regularly.
But believe it or not you must be something special to be a teacher.
Might be you must be born for that.
I see so many teachers who hardly know how to speak with a student.
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