What Do Academic Faculty Members Think of Performance Measures of Academic Teaching? A Case Study From a 10-Year Perspective

Abstract

Much has been written about myths and facts concerning teaching surveys completed by students at academic institutions. The myths usually emerge among faculty members based on their subjective point of view, personal experience, or intuitive interpretation of events. The following case study is the first of its kind, and it follows how academic faculty members evaluate performance measurement of academic teaching and teaching surveys in particular, while examining the change that has occurred over the last decade. The case analysis, examining instructors’ evaluation of teaching surveys completed by students, is based on a group of senior faculty members in Israeli academic institutions. The current study is unique in examining how academic faculty members perceive alternative options for measuring their overall performance in academic teaching as manifested in teaching surveys. One hundred eighty-two questionnaires were collected from senior faculty members at academic institutions, comprised of open-ended questions concerning suggestions for alternative teaching evaluation surveys and their structure. The research findings show that the instructors mention “professional” alternatives and perceive teaching surveys as an unprofessional and populist tool. Assuming that students’ voices and their opinion of teaching are important, professional alternatives for evaluating and improving teaching should find expression—and instructors relate significantly to professional elements at academic institutions as potentially helpful factors.