Top misperceptions about course evaluations according to the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Illinois.  Research references regarding student ratings can be found at

http://www.oir.uiuc.edu/dme/Ices/reference.htm

Myth 1: If I'm an entertaining instructor then my student evaluations will be great. These evaluations seems to measure student enjoyment, not teaching effectiveness.

Warm, friendly, humorous, and entertaining instructors are generally appreciated by students, but these same instructors will be quickly criticized if the course content is not well-organized and students are not learning. Students are discriminating judges of quality instruction. Instructors cannot "skate by" on entertainment alone-there must be accompanying content that is understandable and organized before students will judge you as an effective teacher. If you happen to be one of those rare teachers who combines great pedagogical skills with a fantastic personality and presentation abilities, indeed, you will receive high scores. For the rest of us "mortals," rest assured that the entertainment factor is not enough to ensure high ratings.

Myth 2: I know who gets the best scores:  those teachers that give all As. If you're an easy grader then your student evaluations will be high.

There has been quite a bit of controversy about student grades and student ratings of instruction. Past research has shown positive correlations, zero correlations, and even one or two NEGATIVE correlations between students' expected grades and their ratings of instruction. On our campus, and many other college venues, the correlation between expected grade and assigned student rating is approximately 0.3 or below. Clearly the relationship between grades and ratings is complex, but one can assume that "easy graders" are not going to automatically receive high student evaluations.

Myth 3: Student ratings are not connected to student learning. You should measure the amount my students have learned, not whether they like me.

It is absolutely true that we should attempt to measure the amount that our students have learned. This outcome measure is a great indicator of teaching effectiveness. But to think that student ratings are not connected to learning is incorrect. Meta-analysis of controlled studies in which student learning and instructor ratings were investigated show that the more students learned in a course, the higher the ratings of the instructor. The causal reasoning goes something like this: effective teaching leads to student learning which leads to positive instructor ratings. The relationship between teaching and learning is much too complex to enable this simple conclusion, but research has made links between student learning and student ratings of instructors.

Myth 4: My students don't appreciate my teaching now, but in the future they'll realize that I was good. Ask them after they've graduated and you'll get the real scoop on my teaching.

Sorry, but your students' perceptions don't change much after they've left your course. Surveys of graduating seniors and alumni have shown that their ratings of professors remain rather consistent over time. While this goes against some anecdotal evidence, the research has consistently shown that alumni ratings are strongly correlated with current student ratings.

Myth 5: Students don't know what good teaching is, especially good content. Peers, rather than students, are a better source for teaching evaluations.

Peers are an excellent source for feedback about our teaching. In some cases, such as appropriateness and currency of course content, they are probably the best source of valid and reliable feedback. Yet studies have shown that overall peer ratings, though slightly higher, will not differ that much from student ratings. Some researchers and administrators question the reliability of peer classroom ratings when used for decision making. Given this concern, we still find peer observations and document review to be excellent methods for formative feedback for teaching improvement. These same methodologies can also be a great supplement to student ratings for tenure and promotion decisions.

Myth 6: Student ratings are notoriously unreliable. Most students just can't agree on what is good teaching.

Wrong. There is substantial research that shows consistency of ratings both within a course and over time. As long as there are enough students completing forms, the inter­rater reliability of the results are rather high (reliability, not necessarily validity). Additionally, instructor's ratings are relatively stable over time for the same courses. When students are asked what they are looking for in instructors (what they are evaluating) they generally describe traits and behaviors that faculty and teaching & learning experts would find laudable: organization, preparedness, concern for students, stimulation of thinking, fair grading, availability for help, etc.

Myth 7: If I assign a lot of work, my ratings will be low. It's clear that high workloads lead to low student evaluations.

There are correlations between workload and student ratings-moderate to heavy workloads generally are correlated with HIGH student ratings of instruction! The correlations are not incredibly strong, but they are rather consistent. Demanding instructors, who also provide support for student learning, are not going to be penalized just because they require hard work from their students.

Myth 8: Student evaluations can only hurt me. It is never used to help me.

Student ratings of instruction can be utilized in many ways. Typically the results are used as one part of the tenure and promotion process. They are also used for campus and departmental teaching awards. Our office hopes that the results are used for teaching improvement, too. When accompanied by an educational consultant, student evaluations (and the open-ended comments) can be very worthwhile for changing how we structure our courses and how we teach and assess our students. While there may be isolated cases where low student evaluations "hurt" faculty, there are certainly many instances where high scores are also used to reward faculty. Plus, low or high student evaluations can be used to determine what is working well and what might need to be altered in your teaching (especially when combined with open-ended student comments).

Myth 9: It is easier to receive high student ratings in elective courses, but I teach highly required courses and thus I receive lower ratings. That's
not fair.

Excellent point! This is one variable that does affect student ratings. Generally, elective courses receive higher ratings than do required courses. Students tend to be more motivated to take elective courses and student motivation does play a role in subsequent student evaluation of the course and the instructor. Research on the UIUC campus validates this finding. Because of this relationship, we control for this variable on UIUC reports. On the instructor summary report, we compare your student evaluations on the global items to other faculty on campus according to the elective/required nature of the course. We have three broad categories: required, mixed, and elective. These normative comparison groups are used on the instructor summary report, longitudinal profiles, and our Incomplete List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent. NOTE:  here at UW-Madison, departments are also encouraged to group similar courses for these comparisons.  Talk with your department chair, executive committee, and/or curriculum committee to further these comparisons.

Myth 10: If I deliver organized and clear lectures, am enthusiastic and motivating, assess student progress frequently and fairly, provide comprehensive feedback on student learning, actively engage students with meaningful assignments, and behave in an ethical and responsible manner then my student ratings will be very good.

This is no myth! Effective instructors receive high ratings. For assistance in interpreting your student evaluations, contact our office. We can help determine your strengths and areas that might need some attention. Also, the UIUC Instructional Development Office can work closely with you to assist you in becoming a more effective instructor. Best of all, we enjoy working with faculty and offer this consulting service for free!  NOTE:  our own teaching & learning development programs (Teaching Academy, Delta, etc., etc.) would likewise be happy to work with you.  Just contact them directly, or contact me and I can help you get connected.