Cassandra Good in Elk: "Since it’s teaching eval season agai..."

Since it’s teaching eval season again, just a reminder that numerous studies have shown that these evals measure bias, not teaching effectiveness. Their use in for anything beyond feedback directly to the prof—ie tenure & promotion—is legally dubious, professionally irresponsible, and ethically wrong.

So, read yours with a glass of wine and a whole shaker of salt. Solidarity to all the women out there who get comments on being motherly or mean, well-dressed or unattractive, too challenging or a push-over.

May 19, 2023 at 2:04:20 AM

Using teaching evals for promotion and tenure is professionally irresponsible and ethically wrong, but it may soon be legally mandatory in the state of Ohio.

Sec. 3345.452.(D)(4): "Student evaluations conducted pursuant to section 3345.451 of the Revised Code account for at least fifty per cent of the teaching area component of the evaluation."
https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/135/sb83

I saw that that was part of the bill and was horrified. If that passes I hope people sue.

Do you have citations to some of the studies that would be good for early graduate students? I would like to share some with students, but most of the ones I found have a focus that is slightly askew of the idea and not good for those just starting to teach.

Yep, shared some links this morning: https://hcommons.social/@cgoodhistorian/110395878520697245

Thank you!

I had a professor who told us as undergrads that he wished he could get bonus pay based on evaluations from students 10 and 20 years after graduating. After they understood what mattered. He told us he didn't care what we had to say on his contemporaneous evaluations. All professors today are right to discount these evaluations. They might give you an insight, but through an unfocused lens.