The Research Behind Student Evaluations

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The Research Behind Student Evaluations
Steve Fitzpatrick, MEC and Marilla Svinicki, CTE

CIS Item #4

	CIS ITEM	RELATED ITEMS
	#4 The tests/assignments were usually graded and returned promptly.	a. teacher's fairness; impartiality of evaluation of students; quality of exams	b. Nature, quality and frequency of feedback from teacher to students
Correlation to student learning	No direct Feldman question for this item; however, one could assume that this item is attempting to get at the quality of evaluation and feedback given to students, for which data do exist (see related items).	Feldman #14 r=.26 (not statistically significant)	Feldman #19 r=.23 (not statistically significant)
Theoretical rational for correlation	Students could be using this information as a place holder for the overall evaluation system and how it is carried out in a class. They are obviously concerned about the degree and type of evaluation.

5 Ways to Assure Prompt Return of Assignments

When scheduling assignments at the beginning of the semester, consider your own schedule and whether you will be able to return the materials promptly. Schedule accordingly.
Even if you can not give individual feedback to every student, you can create a summary sheet describing the most commonly occurring problems and their possible source and solution.
If you set rules, be sure to have a reason for them and stick to the rules for all students.
Include several measures of student performance in a variety of formats so as not to bias a student's grade because of difficulty with a single format.
If you supervise TAs, be sure that the TAs understand how you want grading to be done and that they return papers promptly.

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