Re: Lazy?

[Joe Heafner <heafnerj@VNET.NET>]

> From: "RAUBER, JOEL" <
JOEL_RAUBER@SDSTATE.EDU>
> Except for students who are in situations similar to
what Tina faces: the
> students do not have to exactly face the
consequences, they have
> alternatives through the route of a Dean or a Dept.
Head; or student
> evalutations, etc.
Which is another reason why student evaluations, as
they are currently implemented, are absolutely invalid.

Our admins constantly tell us that our evaluations aren't
used for faculty punishment (which is basically true;
they're used only to satisfy a SACS requirement).
However, about two years ago, a faculty member was
denied what everyone else believes was a State
mandated salary increase because of poor
evaluations. Of course, admin won't confirm this.

The only way student evaluations can be considered
valid is if they are administered in every instructor's
courses every term (pardon any grammar error there).
Only then can admins get a statistically accurate of an
instructor's performance, and then only if the
instrument is designed to evaluate the *course*, of
which the instructor is only one component.

Basically, I don't feel students are qualified to evaluate
faculty. Are patients qualified to evaluate a doctor's
medical competence (I'm not including non-medical
things here, such as sense of humor or bedside
manner).


Cheers,
Joe Heafner - Instructional Astronomy and Physics
Home Page http://users.vnet.net/heafnerj/index.html
I don't have a Lexus, but I do have a Mac. Same thing.

This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.