Research on college teaching supports classifying teaching as much an art as a science. The expectation that student evaluation of teachers can result in exact teacher rankings is unrealistic and stifles the artistry in teaching. However, current evaluation techniques can yield broader classifications of effectiveness and help improve instruction.…

A procedure that allows college faculty to obtain rapid student assessment of lecturing performance is described. A computer program facilitates application of the resulting data for self-evaluation, job applications, promotions, and group discussion. The questionnaire's simplicity and ease of processing have been well received by faculty and…

At Illinois College of Optometry a peer-review committee evaluates the exams of both basic science and clinical courses to provide an objective means of evaluating a faculty member's teaching ability. Five aspects of the exam (content, construction, statistical analysis, adjusted questions, instructor's rationale) are evaluated to determine the…

Discussion of the qualities that characterize effective teachers looks at research on exemplary instructors, including studies of students' memories of good teachers, observational studies, nominations for teaching awards, and comparison with average and poor instructors. The common factor is the ability to offer presentations in clearly organized…

Research on use of student evaluations of faculty as a source of information on good teaching is reviewed, and the differential importance of criteria expressed in the rating forms is discussed. It is concluded that while the data in the evaluations can have varied interpretations, they can also be an important source of information for…

This monograph discusses how teaching portfolios can improve the quality of teaching and learning in higher education. Teaching portfolios can be defined as vehicles for documenting teaching (with an emphasis on demonstrating excellence), empowering professors to gain dominion over their professional lives, providing institutions with the means to…

A model for course planning that provides a way of looking at college instruction and an approach to preparing effective courses is presented. It is suggested that: teaching is an experimental activity, there is no correct way to teach, a teacher sets up the conditions for learning, and both the course and teacher need to assume part of the…

Students holding diametrically opposed opinions about the quality of instruction at the University were compared on a number of other attitude variables. A comparison was made of 2,310 students choosing item 2B and 1,625 students choosing item 3B on the 1969 University Student Census, an attitude and activities inventory given annually to all…

A STUDY ATTEMPTED TO IDENTIFY CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EXTENDED DAY PROGRAM AT SAN FERNANDO VALLEY STATE COLLEGE AND EVALUATE THIS PROGRAM IN COMPARISON WITH THE REGULAR DAY PROGRAM. DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM COLLEGE RECORDS AND THREE QUESTIONNAIRES COMPLETED BY EXTENDED DAY STUDENTS AND FACULTY. EXTENDED DAY STUDENTS WERE DIVIDED ACCORDING TO…

Some of the theoretical and methodological problems with current practices in evaluating instruction at the higher education level are reviewed. Controversy over the evaluation of instruction in higher education has resulted at least in part from inadequate instrumentation. The instruments for instructional rating now used include administrator…

Formative evaluation of teaching is discussed, and ways of obtaining diagnostic feedback that will lead to improved teaching in large lecture classes are examined. A Teacher Behaviors Inventory is included. (MLW)

A survey of graduate social work schools in the United States and Canada regarding the use of peer review for tenure and promotion purposes and the specific methods and criteria used is reported, and implications for other areas of professional education are discussed. (MSE)

The authors comment on incentive systems that impede serious scholarly work on teaching and learning. The hallmark of academic freedom is the opportunity it affords faculty members to pursue innovative or unconventional scholarship. Over the past decade or so, teaching initiatives in higher education are gaining visibility, innovation is on the…

This guide for college faculty attempts to balance assessment theory and practical advice on grading. Grading is viewed as a complex process that serves multiple roles: evaluation, motivation, communication, and organization, and this work provides examples from classrooms in many disciplines, sample assessment plans for departments and general…

The detrimental effect of evaluating college teachers with student ratings of their performance is illustrated. The author found that he could raise his ratings by reducing the quality of his teaching and concentrating on the improvement of morale among his optometry students at the University of California at Berkeley. (JMD)