Faculty Senate

Student Evaluation of Teaching Task Force

Charge

• Identify the university values in teaching expectations.
• Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of the student assessments of teaching (SAT) and student evaluations of teaching (SET) as a means of acquiring student input.
• If SET forms are deemed most appropriate, assess, using informed psychometrics, the validity and reliability of the current SET form and recommend changes as needed.
• If SAT forms are deemed most appropriate, consider new forms and provide recommendations.
• Assess the role of student input forms related to teaching effectiveness and make recommendations for consistent use of the form in teaching evaluations across academic units.

Among the items to be considered by the Task Force are:

• Identify any correlation between the current SET scores with expected and received grades or with other inherent biases.
• Survey students to determine their perceived use and value of the SET form.
• Identify factors to be considered in using student input scores, such as number of years of teaching experience, size of class, type of class, level of class, etc.
• Involve a consultant experienced in faculty assessments early in the process.
• Identify possible coordination or links between the SET or SAT and the Learning Outcomes Assessment process of the academic units.

Background/Context

For OSU faculty members who have teaching responsibilities, annual performance evaluations, promotion and tenure decisions, and post-tenure reviews are to be based, in part, on an evaluation of their teaching. As required by OAR 580-021-0135, "appropriate student input" shall be included in the evaluation process. The current student evaluation of teaching (SET) form is one means of input. The SET form provides a measurement (numeric data) from which unit heads/chairs and P&T committees make an evaluation or judgment about teaching effectiveness. Since the currently employed SET forms were enacted, additional research has been conducted on the purpose, validity, and reliability of these types of assessment tools. Therefore, to assure that OSU's process and approved forms for student input regarding teaching are the most current and most effective, a review of our current form and processes is in order.

Composition and Timeline

The task force will consist of the Director of Academic Planning and Assessment, one member selected by the Provost, one member from the Advancement of Teaching Committee, and four committee members selected by the Faculty Senate Executive Committee from volunteers of the teaching faculty. It is anticipated that the committee's findings will be presented at the December 2009 Faculty Senate meeting. The committee's recommendations will provide guidance for: (1) potentially updating or replacing the existing student input forms and (2) developing guidelines for use of the student input forms in both annual performance and post-tenure review of faculty, and in the tenure and promotion process.