Accuracy of Course Evaluations and Making Them Count
Now as the semester ends, Concord will be sending out reminders about course evaluations beginning Thanksgiving break. Though typically somewhat lengthy, these questionnaires seek to gauge the success of the class, in particular the skill and knowledge of the instructor. But how effective are course evaluations in measuring these things?
Last semester, student advocates at Concord presented their issues with the course evaluations as they were sent out to students to the Student Government Association. As it stood at the time, the character count for the comments section was low, and the system was confusing; some instructors wanted a paper evaluation done in class, and others wanted it done online. These student advocates successfully raised the character count of the comments section from its original hundred characters.
According to Philip B. Stark and Richard Freishtat’s article in “ScienceOpen,” Concord made the correct decision in allowing an increase in character count. They propose in their article “An Evaluation of Course Evaluations” that the comments section, if provided in a course evaluation, is the most crucial aspect, completely setting aside numbers.
Largely, this has to do with the vagueness of “rate such and such on a scale of one to 10” and the discrepancy between two different student’s ideas of the distance between two given numbers. For example, one student might think more relatively than another. The jump from say three to five might be much greater for one student than another. In this case, the number averages provided about a certain instructor’s clarity, for example, could be meaningless. On top of this, the more variation allowed, the more likely a student is to choose a less extreme number, according to Stark and Frieshtat. For example, a student will feel less inclined to rate a professor a two in a single category on a one to 10 scale than they are even on a one to nine scale.
Another problem with the accuracy of course evaluations posed by researchers and evident in the Concord community is response rate. In general, only students who felt strongly about the class one way or another typically fill evaluation forms unless the instructor or the school makes it mandatory. In this case, the data will yield wide variation—student one thinks that the class was horrible and gives a score of one for everything, and student two thinks it was brilliant and gives a score of 10 for everything. No number cruncher can hope for even a remotely accurate assessment of the class or instructor.
Wide variation can also occur when the class has a mixture of elective or general studies students and those in a required class for their major. Those that completed more prerequisites and who have gained an advanced level of competency will typically rate the class differently than those taking it for elective reasons or for general studies credit. They may rate it more harshly or find fewer flaws with the course than those outside the major.
The comments section, therefore, provides a better place for students to express what went wrong in the course or what went well in the course. Using Stark and Frieshtat’s logic, it is not only in the best interest of the instructor but also of the student to make sure that the comments section is not neglected during the course evaluation. Several students making the same detailed complaint will draw attention better than several students giving an instructor a three in most categories. The numbers are meaningless without explanation.
Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly
More The Concordian News Articles
- Planet Xtreme Teen Center to Perform "Alice in Wonderland"
- Concord Honors Veterans with Week-Long Observance
- Soles Helping Souls
- Poi Artist Shares Talent at Concord
Recent The Concordian News Articles
Discuss This Article
MOST POPULAR THE CONCORDIAN
"Bohemian Rhapsody" Will Rock You By Laura Buchanan
"Fallout 76": A Small State in a Big Game By Caleb Zopp
"Girl in the Spider's Web": A Must-See for Men and Women By Savannah Cooper
"The Grinch": More Science Than Art By Shannon C. White
GET TOP STORIES DELIVERED WEEKLY
FOLLOW OUR NEWSPAPER
LATEST THE CONCORDIAN NEWS
- Campus Carry Bill Receives Opposition from College Leaders
- "Bohemian Rhapsody" Will Rock You
- "Fallout 76": A Small State in a Big Game
- "Girl in the Spider's Web": A Must-See for Men and Women
- "The Grinch": More Science Than Art
- Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Spreads on College Campuses
- Concord Senior Oral Frazier Signs Book Deal
RECENT THE CONCORDIAN CLASSIFIEDS
OUTSIDE THE LINES
- The Gap in Gum Care: Why Caring For Your Teeth’s F...
- Top Tips for Signature Scents and Better-Smelling Laundry
- A Dog Trainer’s Top Tips to Support Pets Through Life S...
- Clear the Air of Indoor Pollutants This Spring
- Stroke & Dementia in Black Men: Tips for Staying Healthy...
- Hispanics and African Americans at Higher Risk for Eye...
- African Americans at Higher Risk for Eye Disease
- Infinity Kings: Final Book In A Favorite Fantasy Series
- What You Need To Know About Keratoconus and the iLink...
- Your Child’s Tomorrow Begins Today
FROM AROUND THE WEB
- Sweeten Your Springtime Salads With Healthy Chilean Grapes
- Young Author Translates 4,000-Year-Old Text to Reveal...
- Keeping Cool and Energy-efficient Amid America’s “...
- Addressing Sarcopenia with a Healthy Diet
- Subway’s New Wraps Elevate Eating on the Go
- Family Teacher Conference Topics Beyond Academics
- Youth Take Down Tobacco
- BookTrib’s Bites: Four Reads to Kickoff Spring
- Curbing Colorectal Cancer in Minority Populations
- Taking Action to Take Down Tobacco
COLLEGE PRESS RELEASES
- Shoff Promotions Comic Book & Sports Card Show
- Semiconductor Research Corp unveils 2024 Research Call, $13.8M Funding
- Charles River Associates Opens Second Scholarship Cycle, Expands to the UK
- BLUMHOUSE AND AMC THEATRES LAUNCH FIRST-EVER HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN FILM FESTIVAL
- THE GEN Z IMPERATIVE: LISTEN TO FEELINGS AND GIVE GEN Z A VOICE