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I on't have n exact reference, but the study you refer to is in a very recent
issue of Change magazine that was devoted to the subject of course
evaluations....
Tim Sullivan
sullivan@kenyon.edu
From Friday's ScienceNow:
3 October 1997 08:00 PM
Study Finds Students Like a Good Show
An enthusiastic teaching style is more important to students than
what's
taught, according to a recent study at Cornell University. The authors
say the study casts doubt on the validity of the now-standard practice
of using student evaluations to help schools make decisions about
tenure
and promotion.
"Student ratings are far from the bias-free indicators of instructor
effectiveness andquality that many have touted them to be," conclude
psychologists Wendy M. Williams and Stephen J. Ceci in an article in
the September issue of Change.
In the Cornell study, Ceci taught exactly the same course on
developmental psychology to two very similar classes, totaling 472
students, in fall and spring semesters. The only difference was that
the
second time around he lectured with more enthusiasm, varying his vocal
pitch and using more hand gestures.
But that stylistic difference had a profound impact on student ratings.
Given an average rating in the first course, Ceci was praised by the
second group for his knowledge, accessibility, and even the quality of
the textbook. The authors say they were struck by the magnitude of the
effect. For example, when students were asked, "How much did you learn
in this course?" the average response leapt from 2.93 to 4.05 on a
5-point scale. The authors call this difference
"staggering"--especially
because the final grades given in the two semesters were "virtually
identical."
Anthony Greenwald, a psychologist at the University of Washington,
Seattle, says the study fits in with his own research showing that high
grades influence student ratings. "It serves as a healthy reminder that
evaluations are sensitive to things other than the amount that students
learn," he says.