STUDENT EVALUATION INSTRUMENTS: ONLINE VERSUS PAPER

Abstract

Results from student evaluations of teaching are regularly used in the merit review process that determines faculty raises, as well as for the rank and tenure process. This paper examines the implications of the switch from paper based student evaluations of teaching to electronic delivery based student evaluations of teaching. Data is analyzed based upon gender of the instructor, rank of the instructor, type of course, and the past performance of the instructor. Results show that the student response rate decreased significantly for the overall dataset and each subset. Additionally, the teaching performance scores dropped significantly for the overall dataset. Performance under electronic evaluations dropped more significantly for full professors and instructors than assistant professors and associates. Differences are also noted based on type of course and relative teaching performance. These results suggest caution for drawing inferences about teaching quality over time periods in which there is a switch in the media (paper vs. electronic) used for student evaluations of teaching.