The Journal of Effective Teaching an online journal devoted to teaching excellence

Journal of Effective Teaching, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2010  

Fike, D. S., Doyle, D. J., & Connelly, R. J. (2010). Online vs. Paper Evaluations of Faculty: When Less is Just as Good. The Journal of Effective Teaching, 10(2), 42-54. [Full Text]

Abstract 

Evaluation of teaching effectiveness is considered a critical element in determining whether or not faculty members are retained at higher education institutions; academic milestones such as tenure and promotion often require documentation of the quality of faculty teaching. As methods of assessing teaching effectiveness evolve, concerns about the equity of alternative methods arise. This study compared two methods of student evaluations of faculty, online versus the traditional paper format. Although the student response rate for online evaluations was lower, evaluation scoring patterns were similar for both methods. The findings suggest that conducting faculty evaluations online may be a suitable alternative to the traditional, paper-based approach.

Keywords: Course evaluations, student evaluations, faculty evaluations, online evaluations, evaluation of instruction.

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