How can the online student ratings be used to improve teaching?
The online student rating form is designed to give instructors feedback on important areas of teaching and learning. Furthermore, the customized items provide the opportunity to receive specific feedback targeted at areas that are unique to an individual course or instructor. Results from both the standard and customized items may be combined with other information sources and methods (e.g., peer reviews, student/class interviews, mid-course student feedback) to give a more complete and accurate picture of teaching. It is important to keep track of feedback on teaching over time to better understand patterns and the influence of contextual variables in teaching. Research has shown that teaching improvement is greatly enhanced when instructors discuss student rating results with a colleague or faculty development consultant. Teaching can also be enhanced by utilizing the links to online resources that will be provided with the online student rating reports.
