National Technical Institute for the Deaf

Research about student ratings and mid-course feedback

Benton, S. L., & Cashin, W. E. (2012). IDEA Paper No. 50: Student ratings of teaching: A summary of research and literature. Manhattan, KS: The IDEA Center. 

This IDEA Paper is an update of the IDEA Paper No. 32 Student Ratings of Teaching: The Research Revisited, (Cashin, 1995). It attempts to summarize the conclusions of the major reviews of the student ratings research and literature from the 1970s to 2010. While that literature is extensive and complex, this brief paper offers broad, general summaries and a good number of citations. As such, it is an excellent resource which draws several noteworthy conclusions.

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Bullock, C.D. (2003). Online Collection of Midterm Student Feedback. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 96, 95-102.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign created an electronic evaluation system (EON) for online courses which includes a mechanism for instructors to collect midterm (formative) feedback as well as end-of-term (summative) ratings. In this chapter, Bullock focuses on the midterm component, beginning with a review of pertinent literature. She describes a pilot program utilizing EON as well as a study that was conducted to gain an understanding of how and why instructors use midterm feedback. They found that instructors preferred this type of online system to paper-pencil evaluations and wanted consultative services for item development and for the interpretation of results.

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Spencer, K. J. & Schmelkin, L. P. ( 2002). Student Perspectives on Teaching and its Evaluation. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 27 (5), 397-409.

The study described in this article explored student perspectives on course and teacher ratings as well as some issues related to teaching effectiveness and faculty roles. Spencer and Schmelkin found that while students were generally willing to complete teacher evaluations and provide feedback they had little confidence that faculty or administration viewed or paid attention to the results. Noting that end-of-term instruments should not be the only formalized way for students to express their views, they support “mid-term formative evaluations.”

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Medina, Brenda. ( 2011). As Emphasis on Student Evaluations Grows, Professors Increasingly Seek Midcourse Feedback. The Chronicle of Higher Education

A growing number of academics are asking students to evaluate their teaching midcourse rather than waiting for feedback at the end of the term. Midterm feedback from students gives professors a chance to adjust their courses to improve learning and student satisfaction.

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