Without extensive training, peers are prone to produce ratings based on numerous biases including those of uniformity, race, and friendship. The alternative system is one of professional rating in which trained, objective evaluators are used. (Author)

Describes an approach used to determine some university faculty annual raises. Describes faculty assessment information and tabular summaries made from this information. Also reviews the annual evaluation procedure by a faculty review team and the department head and shows how faculty raise allocations are determined. (SLD)

Uses recent developments in teacher accreditation in the United Kingdom as a case study through which to consider the implications for evaluating teaching and the changing professional identity of academics. (EV)

Part-time faculty has become an important labor force in Chinese colleges and universities. The number of them has risen rapidly and its structure varies in different types of higher education institutes (HEIs), which results from integration of the social motivation and the inner motivation of schools' reform. From the institutional point of…

Although there is now great interest in the improvement of teaching in colleges and universities, merit as judged in these institutions is based much more on the evaluation of scholarly and research activities than on teaching performance, and salaries are determined by the reputation of one's work rather than one's teaching. One's writing can be…

This issue of the Abstracts presents a selected sample of empirical studies pertaining to the perceived desirable characteristics of the good or effective college teacher. All but one of these studies used student judges (undergraduate and graduate) to identify the teacher characteristics and behaviors most important to effective teaching. This is…

A study was conducted to determine the effects of student evaluation of teachers on teaching effectiveness and on student ratings of their instructor. The effectiveness of student evaluations as a measure of teacher merit were also observed. Subjects were the students of four psychology instructors, all of whom taught separate sessions of the same…

This document presents the results of one item that was included on two surveys of the California State Colleges professors that were designed to elicit attitudes concerning occupational satisfaction. The item in question stated that college teaching is so bad that most professors ought to be sued for malpractice. In answer to the item, 7% of the…

Chapters in this edition contain many different approaches and strategies that can be used in individuals to improve teaching. The selections give the reader a variety of perspectives. The chapters from the first edition of this sourcebook have been updated or rewritten, and seven chapters have been added to provide additional information. The…

Affirmative and negative positions on the resolution were presented in a debate at the 1982 Association for Communication Administration Seminar. Questions were discussed that are basic to an adequate evaluation of the work of directors in colleges and universities. (PD)

"Structure" and "consideration" are used as determinants in applying leadership theory to students' evaluation of their college instructors. (Editor)

Control chart principles that are commonly used to monitor performance in manufacturing and service systems are explored for use in monitoring performance of university faculty. Concepts are reviewed, and examples are presented to illustrate their use. Both superior and poor performances can be identified through control charts. (SLD)

Fifty years ago, students at Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley, were publishing guides rating teachers and courses. Irreverent and funny, they featured pungent comments. Unfortunately, what originated as a light-hearted dope sheet for the use of students has, at the hands of university and college administrators, turned…