An observer walked by and exclaimed, me find a mare s nest. Administrators observe SET scores and exclaim me find an excellent teacher. In the 16th century an Englishman, Sir Peter Neal, discovered an elephant on the moon through his telescope. This discovery caused worldwide excitement, but no one else could find the elephant on the moon. Soon someone found a fly in Neal s telescope.
SET results are an illusionary surrogate for measuring learning by students.
The data provided by student evaluations under controlled circumstances may provide a reasonable and responsible basis for improving teaching. But this same data can be perverted and distorted by professors and administrators, so that we often paint fakes for control purposes. But administrators are going to the trouble of computer profiles that are then considered objective. If SETs are not eliminated, a system of accountability based primarily on student performances must be adopted. An exam patterned after the Texas TAAS test for high school students is needed for higher education.