ABSTRACT
What are the issues?
There have been divisive issues among academicians in the past, but few have been as well researched and long-lasting as the discussion about the student evaluation of teaching (SET). Every aspect of the process has been investigated, and each has become a matter of debate. Even though thousands of research articles have been published, it is not clear what SET actually measures. Initially, the research was positive and optimistic, but findings in the last 20 years have become increasingly pessimistic, advancing issues that question the validity of SET. Cultural and era-related factors have been found within the evaluations, as have the biases of researchers and practitioners. This book reviews the extensive SET literature and investigates major topics, including the possible biasing impacts of gender, grades, personality, student honesty, and halo effects. It then asks if SET improves instruction, and if the evaluations are related to what students learn. It then answers the question: What do the evaluations actually measure?
