Jennifer Franklin

Thinking about) Faculty Thinking about Teacher and Course Evaluation Results

The reliability and validity of student ratings depend as much on accurate interpretation and use of results as on the psychometric properties of the instruments used. While research has shown that many faculty and administrators are not sufficiently trained to use ratings data accurately, their skills can be improved, and they can benefit from the development of carefully designed reports of results that provide the most understandable and usable information. This chapter discusses general issues dealing with interpreting ratings; it reports a study of faculty thinking about ratings results; and it offers guidelines for improved practice.