Student Review of Teaching forms and guidelines
The Faculty Manual does not require the use of a specific form for student reviews of teaching in comprehensive reappointment reviews, so long as the department’s form addresses the criteria for contributions to student learning and development in the Standards for Faculty Evaluations (Section 4.VI.B.1). However, IE&A has developed two options for department use that are closely tied to the student review of teaching form used in tenure and promotion reviews. IE&A has also developed questionnaire preparation guidelines for departments wishing to develop their own form or to modify the IE&A forms. Unlike tenure and promotion reviews, comprehensive reappointment reviews do not include a student committee for developing additional questions or summarizing results.
Student Review of Teaching for Reappointment – Checkbox Form – This is a simplified version of the tenure/promotion review form, consisting primarily of closed-ended ratings supplemented by a few open-ended questions. The form is available as a template in the Google Form Templates, named “Student Review of Teaching for Faculty Reappointment (multiple choice)”.
Student Review of Teaching for Faculty Reappointment questionnaire – This form is the same as the one used by IE&A for the second comprehensive review, and closely resembles the tenure/promotion review form, consisting primarily of open-ended questions. This form is also available in the Google Form Templates, named “Student Review of Teaching for Faculty Reappointment (open-ended)”.
If you choose to not utilize the templates above, please note that for reviews beginning on or after Sept. 1, 2022, as per faculty resolution 2021/22-04 passed in December 2021, you must notify student review participants that the candidate will read their written responses. Beginning Sept. 1, 2022, you should add a statement something similar to the following:
Professor (last name) will see your specific written comments after the review is complete, but without personally-identifying or demographic information attached.
Also please note that as per faculty resolution 2021/22-05 passed in December 2021 and effectively immediately, you should include an anti-bias statement.
St. Olaf College recognizes that evaluations of teaching are often influenced by unconscious and unintentional biases and expectations related to the race and gender of the instructor. Women and persons of color are systematically rated lower in their teaching evaluations than white men, even when there are no actual differences in the instruction or in what students have learned. As you fill out this review, please remain aware of your own frame of reference and focus on the effectiveness of the instruction.
Guidelines for preparing questions – This document provides advice about preparing or modifying a student review form and example questions for departments that will yield valid and reliable responses from students.