Student evaluations of professors: are they of value?

Recent studies of the validity of student ratings of teaching leave much to be desired. Five of these studies are evaluated on the basis of adequacy of design, validity, and generalizability; and one of the studies is used as a model for further inquiry in this area. It is then argued that student evaluations of teaching can provide useful information relevant to the improvement of instruction. However, in order to use such evaluations, improved methods of data collection and analysis are needed. A primary improvement would be in the area of generalizability. A plan for expanding the use of student evaluations from personal utility to general applicability is outlined.