Skip to main content
Log in

Effectiveness of student-rating feedback for improving college instruction: A meta-analysis of findings

  • Published:
Research in Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article applied meta-analytic methodology to integrate findings from 22 comparisons of the effectiveness of student-rating feedback at the college level. On the average, feedback had a modest but significant effect on improving instruction. Instructors receiving mid-semester feedback averaged. 16 of a rating point higher on end-of-semester overall ratings than did instructors receiving no mid-semester feedback. This corresponded to a gain of over one-third of a standard-deviation unit, or a percentile gain of 15 points. The effects of student-rating feedback were accentuated when augmentation or consultation accompanied the ratings. Other study features, such as the length of time available to implement changes and the use of normative data, did not produce different effect sizes.

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.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abrami, P. C., Leventhal, L., & Perry, R. P. Can feedback from student ratings help to improve college teaching?Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Improving University Teaching. London: 1979.

  • Aleamoni, L. M. The usefulness of student evaluations in improving college teaching.Instructional Science 1978,7 95–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bess, J. L. The motivation to teach.Journal of Higher Education 1977,48 243–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braunstein, D. N., Klein, G. A., & Pachla, M. Feedback expectancy and shifts in student ratings of college faculty.Journal of Applied Psychology 1973,58 254–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter, K. R. The effect of student feedback in modifying teaching performance. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia, 1974.

  • Centra, J. A. Effectiveness of student feedback in modifying college instruction.Journal of Educational Psychology 1973,65 395–401.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J.Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (Rev. ed.). New York: Academic, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, P. A., & Herr, G. A procedure for diagnostic instructional feedback: The Formative Assessment of College Teaching (FACT) model.Educational Technology 1979,19 18–23. (a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, P. A., & Herr, G.Improving instruction in the college classroom: does mid-semester rating feedback make a difference? Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, 1979(b).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, P. A., & McKeachie, W. J.The role of colleagues in the evaluation of college teaching. Improving Collegeand University Teaching, in press.

  • Costin, F., Greenough, W. T., & Menges, R. J. Student ratings of college teaching: Reliability, validity, and usefulness.Review of Educational Research 1971,41 511–535.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erickson, G. R., & Erickson, B. L. Improving college teaching: An evaluation of a teaching consultation procedure.Journal of Higher Education 1979,50 670–683.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glass, G. V. Primary, secondary, and meta-analysis of research.Educational Researcher 1976,5 3–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howard, G. S. A program to improve instruction: A promising area for psychologists.Professional Psychology 1977,8 316–327.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoyt, D. P., & Howard, G. S. The evaluation of faculty development programs.Research in Higher Education 1978,8 25–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isaacson, R. L., McKeachie, W. J., Milholland, J. E., Lin, Y. G., Hofeller, M., Baerwaldt, J. W., & Zinn, K. L. Dimensions of student evaluations of teaching.Journal of Educational Psychology 1964,55 344–351.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kulik, J. A., Cohen, P. A., & Ebeling, B. J. Effectiveness of programmed instruction in higher education: A meta-analysis of findings.Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, in press.

  • Kulik, J. A., & Kulik, C-L. C. Student ratings of instruction.Teaching of Psychology 1974,1 51–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kulik, J. A., Kulik C-L. C., & Cohen, P. A. A meta-analysis of outcome studies of Keller's personalized system of instruction.American Psychologist 1979,34 307–318. (a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kulik, J. A., Kulik, C-L. C., & Cohen, P. A. Research on audiotutorial instruction: a meta-analysis of comparative studies.Research in Higher Education 1979,11 321–341. (b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kulik, J. A., & McKeachie, W. J. The evaluation of teachers in higher education. In F. N. Kerlinger (Ed.),Review of research in education (Vol. 3). Itaska, Ill.: F. E. Peacock Publishers, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marsh, H. W., Fleiner, H., & Thomas, C. S. Validity and usefulness of student evaluations of instructional quality.Journal of Educational Psychology 1975,67 833–839.

    Google Scholar 

  • McKeachie, W. J. Student ratings of faculty: A reprise.Academe 1979,65 384–397.

    Google Scholar 

  • McKeachie, W. J., & Lin, Y. G.Use of student ratings in evaluation of college teaching. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan, Department of Psychology, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Menges, R. J. Evaluating teaching effectiveness: What is the proper role for students?Liberal Education 1979,65 356–370.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, M. T. Instructor attitudes toward, and their use of, student ratings of teachers.Journal of Educational Psychology 1971,62 235–239.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, J. B., & Appel, V. H. The effect of mid-semester student feedback on instructional change and improvement. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, March 1978.

  • Overall, J. U., & Marsh, H. W. Midterm feedback from students: Its relationship to instructional improvement and students' cognitive and affective outcomes.Journal of Educational Psychology 1979,71 856–865.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pambookian, H.S. The initial level of student evaluation of instruction as a source of influence on instructor change after feedback.Journal of Educational Psychology 1974,66 52–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rotem, A.The effects of feedback from students to university professors: an experimental study. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rotem, A., & Glasman, N. S. On the effectiveness of students' evaluative feedback to university instructors.Review of Educational Research 1979,49 497–511.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, N. H.A pilot study testing effects of feedback on teaching behavior as measured by student ratings at New River Community College, Dublin, Virginia. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1976.

  • Seibert, W. F. Student evaluations of instruction. In S. C. Ericksen (Ed.),Support for teaching at major universities. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherman, T. M., & Winstead, J. C. A formative approach to student evaluation of instruction.Educational Technology 1975,15 34–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, D. L.The relationship of feedback to professors of the results of student ratings of their teaching effectiveness at mid-semester to their end-of-semester ratings. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California, 1977.

  • Stumpf, S. A., Freedman, R. D., & Aguanno, J. C. A path analysis of factors often found to be related to student ratings of teaching effectiveness.Research in Higher Education 1979,11 111–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, H. B., Jr.Changing teacher behavior: an experiment in feedback from students to teachers. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Purdue University, 1969.

  • Tuckman, B. W., & Oliver, W. F. Effectiveness of feedback to teachers as a function of source.Journal of Educational Psychology 1968,59 297–301.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vogt, K. E., & Lasher, H.Does student evaluation stimulate improved teaching? Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University, 1973 (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 078 748).

    Google Scholar 

  • Weerts, R. R. The use of feedback from student ratings for improving college teaching. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, March 1978.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

The research reported here was conducted while the author was at the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, The University of Michigan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cohen, P.A. Effectiveness of student-rating feedback for improving college instruction: A meta-analysis of findings. Res High Educ 13, 321–341 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00976252

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00976252

Keywords

Navigation