A robust interpretation of teaching evaluation ratings

Abstract

There are no absolute standards regarding what teaching evaluation ratings are satisfactory. It is also problematic to compare teaching evaluation ratings with the average or with a cutoff number to determine whether they are adequate. In this paper, we use average and standard deviation charts ( ̄X− S charts), which are based on the theory of statistical process control, to assess five-year teaching evaluation ratings at a management school. We demonstrate that the upper and lower three-sigma limits of ̄X− S charts are sufficiently robust to unbiasedly identify comparatively exceptional teaching evaluation ratings. This research work makes two recommendations concerning teaching and teaching evaluations: teachers should look for special causes, which contribute to exceptional teaching evaluation ratings outside the three-sigma limits, for the purpose of making improvements or maintaining good teaching performance; if teaching evaluation ratings are used for decision-making, the teaching evaluation ratings within the three-sigma limits represent normal teaching performance and thus should not be treated differently.

Keywords: Higher education, statistical process control, teaching evaluation