Newsgroups: bit.listserv.edpolyan
Date:         Mon, 12 Oct 1992 08:15:46 MST
              <EDPOLYAN@ASUACAD.BITNET>
From:         Gene Glass <ATGVG@ASUACAD.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: UNIVERSAL TEACHING EVALUATIONS

On Thu, 8 Oct 1992 15:01:23 MDT Students' Union said:
>From: Students' Union
>      University of Alberta
>Can anyone tell me if your institition uses Universal Teaching Evaluations?
>If so, does each faculty have a policy for distribution and how often are
>they are distributed? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks,
>Dale Hemmerling, University of Alberta Students' Union, Canada

    Dear Dale. Of course, nearly every univ in the world now has its own
 professor evaluation form (for student eval of teaching, right?). They
 are all different and all the same. You can build one in a few minutes.
 Write a dozen plausible stems ("Prof is well organized," "Prof knows the
 subject," "Prof gives fair exams") and stick a five-point rating scale
 beside each one. They are all virtually the same, but still, every institu-
 tion feels it must do its own to reflect the unique circumstances of that
 university. O.K.
   But let me recommend that you address some other issues that are closer to
 the interests of the students whom you represent.
   Who will own the data after it is collected? The students supply it, but
 will they have access to it? In most places, it is guarded from students'
 view because they are thought to be not capable of understanding the results.
 The results may lead to slightly better choices of sections of courses, but
 they are virtually never used to dismiss inept or vicious faculty. (I can
 think of one case in 30 years and it involved flagrant mental illness that
 was apparent in many other ways).
    Are ratings of general features of style and performance what students
 really need to know about professors? Such info may not do any harm, but
 it strikes me that it is of low quality and not crucial. What else then?
 A professor has a certain set of duties to discharge; failing to do so
 should prompt serious action on the part of administration. They have to
 show up for class. They have to be there with mental faculties in tact,
 ergo they had better be sober and with their feet on the ground, if you read
 my meaning. They must extend a right of appeal to students who feel wrongly
 evaluated. They must make soem attempt to teach (other than turning the entire
 course over to student reports). They must respect each student's civil
 rights. And the list goes on for a few more. Where is "well organized"?
 Where is "has a sense of humor"? Where is "knows the subject"? They are not
 on my evaluation form. They represent such low grade ore they are not worth
 collecting. (Too many well organized people are shallow anal retentive
 personalities who aren't worth listening to; humor is nice, but I'm under
 no moral obligation to amuse you, though I am obliged to treat you like a
 human being; peers are best able to judge competence in the subject, students
 will often agree with a professor's peers, but not often enough.)
    In what form ought one to collect the data on Professor quality? Not in
 the form common today (the ten item rating scale handed out BEFORE the final
 grades are known). Your student organization should have a phone number where
 students can phone and register complaints and observations. You appoint
 a committee of students who evaluate these complaints to determine their
 veracity, seriousness etc. The observations that are worthy become part
 of a permanent file on each professor. All students may come at any time and
 read the file. Professors have a right to read their own file and submit
 written appeals to the student committtee. You get the idea.

_______________________________________________________________________

GENE V GLASS                                    ATGVG AT ASUACAD.BITNET
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION                            ATGVG AT ASUACVAX.BITNET
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY                        INTERNET ADDRESS:
Tempe, AZ 85287-2411                            ATGVG@ASUVM.INRE.ASU.EDU
602-965-2692  (303-499-2816 from June '92 until Dec. '92)
  (While on sabbatical until Dec. '92, I can be reached at
    GLASS@SPOT.COLORADO.EDU )