Abstract
This article considers the validity and usefulness of student evaluations of teaching (SET) at a small Australian university. Face and content validity were considered and a factor analysis was performed to evaluate the overall validity of a survey instrument which purports to give useable results in respect to teaching methods and approaches. It was found that the survey instrument was flawed in that the ten compulsory questions of which it is constituted, all collapsed into one dimension. This dimension was determined to be the extent of popularity of the lecturer for whom the survey was conducted. In essence, the survey is not an evaluation of teaching, but rather students' opinions of the lecturer concerned. It was concluded that the SET survey serves no educational purpose and is a violation of academic freedom and lecturers’ rights.
Highlights
Universities throughout the western world routinely impose on both academic staff and students, some evaluation of teaching standards through surveys
In the current Australian university system, student evaluations of teaching (SET) holds a central place in measuring the teaching standards of individual lecturers
By exploring the statistics produced by SET rather than debating the legalities of its compulsory imposition or the possibility of compensatory legal action arising out of SET, this paper provides a basis for reviewing the central educational role of SET in a broader fashion and with an eye to better evaluating teaching standards
Summary
Universities throughout the western world routinely impose on both academic staff and students, some evaluation of teaching standards through surveys. The first question we need to ask is, “Just how valid and reliable are the SETs currently in use in our universities?” Once this matter has been addressed, it ought to be possible to extend or alter survey instruments so they can respond sensibly to the points raised above. Becker (2000) has raised issues surrounding the temptation to, and the means by which, lecturers might improve their SET scores by tactics, which are not related to teaching These could include giving students test answers, and getting rid of troublesome students prior to the administration of a SET instrument. Factor Analysis Many Australian university staff share concerns about the reliability and validity of SET instruments, of which this is but one example. This is regarded as an exceptional score in that it shows that all the items in the component are highly correlated with one another
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