STUDENT EVALUATION OF FACULTY: A MIRROR FOR SELF ANALYSIS. The 6th Saudi Engineering Conference, KFUPM, Dhahran, December 2002.

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Abstract

Many institutions around the world greatly rely on this technique for curricular and academic enhancement. King Fahd University in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia should not be an exception. It has been argued that students are not valid sources of evaluation information, that their responses are based on superficial liking or disliking of faculty; however, this assumption has not been empirically supported. One can safely say that students’ evaluations of faculty (SEF) are a valid index of instructional effectiveness. Students’ ratings add a valuable component to the range of input for the evaluation of teachers. Although many question the validity of such ratings, under certain conditions, results can and should be useful. Students can distinguish among teachers on the basis of how much they have learned. The present paper lends support to the use of student evaluation as one component in the evaluation of teaching effectiveness. The faculty should feel convinced that to some extent ratings reflect an instructor's impact on students. The author is convinced that there is much to be discovered in the hidden meanings of evaluation by students, only if an un-biased and objective approach is accorded to it. It throws light upon issues that address a wider concern such as curricular dynamics or social and administrative influences. In more than one way the students’ evaluation of faculty (SEF) can mirror the hidden images that are otherwise may go unnoticed by one. Objectively seen and carefully analyzed, SEF can act as course correction in the domain of academic self-development. The author has just attempted one such endeavor. It is hoped that the presented material will inculcate and initiate a practical, creative and healthy debate on the issue of students’ evaluation of faculty.

Item Type:	Article
Department:	College of Design and Built Environment > Architecture and City Design Department
Depositing User:	Users 4447 not found.
Date Deposited:	31 May 2008 08:03
Last Modified:	01 Nov 2019 13:27
URI:	http://eprints.kfupm.edu.sa/id/eprint/1585