Allied health student and faculty attitudes regarding faculty evaluation

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Education

Background:

• Understanding faculty and student perceptions of activity importance is crucial for effective academic program design.
• Varied priorities between faculty and students can impact curriculum development and faculty-student collaboration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the perceived importance of faculty participation in teaching, service, and scholarly activities between faculty and students in undergraduate health professions programs.
• To identify similarities and differences in perceived value across various academic and professional domains.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to faculty and undergraduate students across medical technology, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and social work programs.
• Participants rated the importance of faculty involvement in 24 distinct activities encompassing teaching, professional service, and scholarly/administrative tasks.

Main Results:

• Both faculty and students identified teaching activities as the most important.
• Faculty placed higher importance on scholarly and administrative activities compared to students.
• Students assigned greater importance to professional service activities than did faculty.

Conclusions:

• Despite differing priorities in service and scholarly work, a general consensus exists between faculty and students regarding the importance of teaching.
• These findings highlight potential areas for curriculum alignment and interprofessional understanding within health education.
• Addressing the distinct value placed on professional service and scholarly activities may enhance faculty-student engagement and program effectiveness.