Rethinking student evaluation of teaching: A policy analysis

Area of Science:

• Higher Education Policy
• Faculty Advancement
• Educational Equity

Background:

• Tenure and promotion policies often rely heavily on student evaluations of teaching (SETs).
• Existing practices may inadvertently create academic progression barriers for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) faculty.
• SETs are frequently the primary tool for assessing teaching effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze how the predominant use of SETs impacts tenure for BIPOC faculty.
• To explore policy implications within higher education regarding faculty evaluation.
• To identify potential improvements in teaching assessment to support equitable faculty retention.

Main Methods:

• Policy analysis framework (Bardach and Patashnik, 2019).
• Review of cultural history, policy, and evidence on SETs.
• Evaluation criteria informed by national nursing reports, accreditation standards, and the 2020 Teaching Quality Framework.

Main Results:

• Student evaluations of teaching (SETs) exhibit high error rates and are ineffective at identifying top educators.
• Current reliance on SETs may disadvantage BIPOC faculty in the tenure process.
• Alternative evaluation methods are needed for a more accurate assessment of teaching.

Conclusions:

• Shifting from sole reliance on SETs to a more comprehensive evaluation system is essential.
• Implementing formative and summative teaching evaluation methods offers a less biased perspective.
• Changes in teaching evaluation are critical for retaining BIPOC faculty and facilitating their tenure attainment.