Student evaluations of instruction have long been used to evaluate the teaching performance of instructors. However, despite the widespread use of data from student evaluations for the purpose of determining faculty teaching effectiveness, a review of the literature in the area indicates that issues concerning the validity and usefulness of such…

Results of a survey of attitudes of 100 faculty members at the University of Queensland concerning the institution's system of annual compulsory performance reviews, their benefits and disadvantages, and preferences about the structure and administration of the review system are discussed. (MSE)

The challenges to academic decision makers resulting from the growing practice of faculty collaboration on publications are discussed. A 25-year publication history of authorship placement (first-named, second-named of 2, or latter-named of several) by 150 university chemists is analyzed to derive a typology for evaluation of faculty performance,…

Research with 96 undergraduates investigated interpretations of a global-evaluation item common to student evaluation forms. Through narratives and semistructured interviews, students described classroom experiences, beliefs about good teaching, and aspects of the evaluation process that influencing their ratings. The item produced multiple…

A guide to understanding and improving faculty evaluation procedures at all types of colleges and universities is presented. The causes of today's crisis in higher education and survival strategies are reviewed, and the search for solvency is related to major changes in assessing faculty performance. The proliferation of court challenges to…

Reports on a study of 78 letters of recommendation for a higher education teaching position comparing letters written by women and men. Finds that the letters are written differently and vary by the applicant's gender. Also finds that women are much more likely than men to describe collegiality than intellect. (CFR)

Reports on a study of the impact of student evaluations of higher education economics instructors on faculty behavior and grades. Finds that initially grades increased but then declined over a nine-year period. Recommends further research on this issue. (CFR)

A survey of 63 college provosts and academic vice presidents concerning evaluation of tenured faculty found that, although frequency and form of evaluation vary widely, the large majority of institutions do perform regular reviews of tenured faculty. Most respondents also felt that the tenure system works relatively well. (MSE)

After preparing their own teaching portfolios, four Georgia Southern University instructors designed a study to investigate what happens when neither follow-up workshops nor mentoring are provided by the institution. Results indicate that without institutional support, especially mentoring, faculty use teaching portfolios primarily for tenure and…

Reports on a study of efforts by 76 college economics departments to assess faculty teaching effectiveness. Discusses four assessment methods: (1) classroom visits; (2) teaching materials; (3) formal follow-up; and (4) informal soundings. Concludes that many feel uncomfortable with the evaluation process. (CFR)

The heads of the education divisions of 245 colleges and universities were surveyed regarding their opinions about faculty evaluation and reward procedures. Findings indicated that tenure received significantly more attention from decision-making bodies in the colleges than merit pay. Tenure was also viewed as having a greater effect on faculty…

The aim of this study was to develop standards that could guide the documentation and evaluation of faculty scholarship. The research was based, in part, on a formal survey conducted in 1994 of all four-year colleges and universities in the United States on faculty roles and rewards. A prologue titled, "A Personal Journal," written by…

The professional development and evaluation of university academic staff members is discussed in an attempt to clarify the processes by which evaluation and professional development activities may become acceptable and helpful. Also presented are the student evaluation of teaching and the interrelationship between evaluation instruments and the…

Criteria related to merit evaluations of medical technology faculty were evaluated, based on a survey of members of the American Society for Medical Technology's scientific section on education. Questionnaire responses were obtained from 27 academic institutions. Criteria included publications, institutional committee activity, research, clinical…

In a study of the reliability of an English language proficiency test for non-native teaching assistants (NNS TAs), 18 NNS TAs were administered the SPEAK Test. The results were compared with student evaluations of the intelligibility and clarity of the TAs' classroom speech. Despite problems with the SPEAK Test, the measure was considered a…