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Student Ratings of Instruction in College and University Courses

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Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research

Part of the book series: Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research ((HATR,volume 29))

Abstract

Findings from research on student ratings are summarized from the 1970s to 2013. There were 1,874 references, including 564 since 1994, using the ERIC descriptors “student evaluation of teacher performance” and “higher education.” The authors address the validity of self-report data, misconceptions about student ratings, essentials of credible research, and elements of reliability and validity. Evidence of reliability includes consistency, stability, and generalizability of ratings. Validity evidence consists of relations to other variables, including achievement; instructor self-ratings; ratings by administrators, colleagues, alumni, and trained observers; and student-written comments as well as survey multidimensionality. Possible sources of bias are extraneous student, instructor, and course characteristics either unrelated or related to ratings. Few meaningful differences occur between ratings administered online versus on paper and ratings in online versus face-to-face courses. Recommendations are made for the appropriate use of student ratings and for future research.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Content contained in IDEA Paper No. 50 is reprinted by permission of The IDEA Center.

  2. 2.

    The authors converted various summary statistics reported in the multi-section studies into Pearson product-moment correlations.

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Acknowledgment

The authors wish to thank The IDEA Center for granting permission to use chapter portions of IDEA Paper No. 50, Student Ratings of Teaching: A Summary of Research and Literature.

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  1. The IDEA Center, 301 South Fourth St., Suite 200, Manhattan, KS, 66502, USA

    Stephen L. Benton Ph.D.

  2. Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA

    William E. Cashin Ph.D.

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  1. Stephen L. Benton Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Stephen L. Benton Ph.D. .

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  1. Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

    Michael B. Paulsen

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Benton, S.L., Cashin, W.E. (2014). Student Ratings of Instruction in College and University Courses. In: Paulsen, M. (eds) Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research. Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, vol 29. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8005-6_7

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