Hidden Attunements: A Program Evaluator's Perspective on Student Course Evaluation at St. Mary's University
Files
Publication Date
Summer 2024
Digital Publisher
Digital Commons at St. Mary's University
Collection
McNair Scholars Symposium
Keywords
teaching-learning process; student course evaluations; higher education; pedagogical improvements; historical context; stakeholder analysis; empirical evidence; educational quality
Description
The essence of Pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus's observation, “The hidden attunement is better than the open,” underscores the importance of understanding the subtle, unseen connections within the teaching-learning process. In today's educational landscape, it is vital for stakeholders to look beyond superficial student feedback to uncover deeper insights that can drive meaningful pedagogical improvements. This paper explores the historical context and contemporary challenges of student course evaluations in higher education, emphasizing the need for a multi-faceted approach to assessment that transcends traditional metrics. Tracing the evolution of higher education evaluations from their inception in 1928 through post-WWII reforms and the Civil Rights era, this study examines the enduring reliance on empirical evidence and the complexities surrounding high-stakes decisions based solely on student evaluations. The evaluation of the Student Course Evaluation Survey is approached through the lens of a program evaluator, focusing on the instrument's capacity to yield valuable data, the stakeholders involved, and the implications for tenure, promotion, and overall educational quality. By identifying primary, secondary, and key stakeholders, this study highlights the economic, social, and health-related factors influencing student course evaluations. Recommendations include enhancing evaluation design, increasing response rates, implementing screening mechanisms for abusive comments, and separating evaluations from high-stakes decisions. Additionally, incorporating multiple measures of teaching quality and fostering transparency in feedback processes can lead to actionable improvements. The paper concludes by advocating for evidence-based assessment practices and sustainable improvement cycles, as exemplified by Albion College's approach, to optimize educational outcomes and maintain adaptability in a dynamic academic environment.
Disciplines
Curriculum and Instruction | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Social History | United States History
Format
MOV
Medium
video
Size or Duration
19:04 minutes
City
San Antonio
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
