scholarly journals Student Evaluations of Teaching as ‘Fact-Totems’: The Case of the UK National Student Survey

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 148-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duna Sabri
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Student Evaluations ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Student Evaluations Of Teaching ◽  
Identity Narratives ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
The Uk ◽  
A Site

Taking the UK National Student Survey (NSS) as a case study of student evaluations of teaching (SET) which are now used widely in higher education, I argue that the production and consumption of such survey data have a symbolic value that exceeds, and is often independent of, any technical understanding of their statistical meaning. The NSS, in particular, has acquired significance that far outweighs its validity or intended use. This is evident in national policy where it has become the primary measure of ‘the student experience’, ostensibly articulating current students’ views, and giving prospective students – as consumers – information to help them choose between courses. Higher education institutions now allocate resources to improving ‘the student experience’, as defined by NSS results. Their desire to improve NSS results has come to redefine higher education work and relationships between students and academics, academics and managers, and students and institutions. Moreover, NSS results and universities’ relative positions in NSS scores have become ‘fact-totems’, a site of intense social attention within universities, provoking anticipatory anxiety, and becoming embedded in universities’ identity narratives. Alongside an analysis of the policy structures that perpetuate the NSS at national and institutional levels, I draw on two studies conducted within one UK university to examine at a micro-level the meanings and practices that can be generated in the production and consumption of the NSS for students, academics and managers in higher education.

scholarly journals Does teaching qualification matter in higher education in the UK? An analysis of National Student Survey data

MethodsX ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 788-799 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Nurunnabi ◽  
Abdelhakim Abdelhadi ◽  
Rehab Aburas ◽  
Samaher Fallatah
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
The Uk

The Ethics Of Setting Course Expectations To Manipulate Student Evaluations Of Teaching Effectiveness In Higher Education: An Examination Of The Ethical Dilemmas Created By The Use Of SETEs And A Proposal For Further Study And Analysis

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Catherine S. Neal ◽  
Teressa Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching Effectiveness ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Student Evaluations ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Student Evaluations Of Teaching ◽  
Ethical Problems ◽  
Course Rigor ◽  
Overall Evaluation ◽  
Attendance Policies

Because student evaluations of teaching effectiveness (SETEs) are an important and widely used tool used in the evaluation and reward systems for faculty members in higher education, a discussion and analysis of the ethical problems that may arise as a result of the conflict created by expectations of performance is provided.  This discussion specifically focuses on ethical issues related to setting course expectations and attendance policies to manipulate students’ perceptions of course rigor and the overall evaluation of the course and the instructor.

scholarly journals Qualitative Analysis of Students’ Evaluations – The Case of the South East European University (SEEU) in North Macedonia

SEEU Review ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 2-20
Author(s):  
Irena Gjerasimovska ◽  
Abdylmenaf Bexheti ◽  
Veronika Kareva ◽  
Gadaf Rexhepi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Evaluations ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
The South ◽  
Student Evaluations Of Teaching ◽  
Data Set ◽  
East European ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
European University ◽  
A Current

Abstract The use of student evaluations of teaching (SET) has become a widespread practice in higher education despite inconclusive evidence reported in the literature around its validity. Not surprisingly, the question of the validity of SET continues to be a current debate in higher education, pointing to the need for more research in this area. This paper is a part of a larger scale study, which aims to contribute to broadening the knowledge and understanding of SET validity by analysing the process within the South East European University (SEEU) in North Macedonia in order to determine whether student evaluations are objective and critical. A likert scale questionnaire, containing 9 questions, was designed for the purpose of the analysis. The questionnaire was sent to all students from the five (5) Faculties: Business and Economics, Law, Contemporary Sciences and Technologies, Contemporary Social Sciences and Faculty of Languages, Cultures and Communications, in both campuses, Tetovo and Skopje. Three hundred and thirty three (333) students participated in the survey. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used for analysing the results. Findings revealed that the information students received about the reputation, experience and qualifications of the professors had the highest influence on their perceptions, which in turn influenced the evaluations. As an addition, the present paper also compares two methods on a data set of actual SET. For illustrative purposes, only data from one faculty have been analysed. It is shown that the traditional method of considering the average values can misrepresent a teacher’s performance as it can be highly sensitive to any extreme grades, being either very positive or very negative.

scholarly journals Higher Education Instructors’ Usage of and Learning From Student Evaluations of Teaching – Do Achievement Goals Matter?

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Hein ◽  
Stefan Janke ◽  
Raven Rinas ◽  
Martin Daumiller ◽  
Markus Dresel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Achievement Goals ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Student Evaluations ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Student Evaluations Of Teaching ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
Regulated Learning ◽  
Avoidance Goals

Identifying what motivates and hinders higher education instructors in their self-regulated learning from student evaluations of teaching (SETs) is important for improving future teaching and facilitating student learning. According to models of self-regulated learning, we propose a model for the usage of SETs as a learning situation. In a longitudinal study, we investigate the associations between achievement goals and the usage of and learning from SETs in the context of higher education. In total, 407 higher education instructors (46.4% female; 38.60 years on average) with teaching commitments in Germany or Austria reported their achievement goals in an online survey. Out of these participants, 152 instructors voluntarily conducted SET(s) and subsequently reported their intentions to act on the feedback and improve future teaching in a short survey. Using structural equation modeling, we found, in line with our hypotheses, that learning avoidance, appearance approach, and appearance avoidance goals predicted whether instructors voluntarily conducted SET(s). As expected, learning approach and (avoidance) goals were positively associated with intentions to act on received SET-results and improve future teaching. These findings support our hypotheses, are in line with assumptions of self-regulated learning models, and highlight the importance of achievement goals for instructors’ voluntary usage of and intended learning from SET(s). To facilitate instructors’ learning from SET-results, our study constitutes a first step for future intervention studies to build on. Future researchers and practitioners might support instructors’ professional learning by encouraging them to reflect on their SET-results.

scholarly journals ValuED: A Blockchain-based Trading Platform to Encourage Student Engagement in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aydin Abadi ◽  
Jin Xiao ◽  
Roberto Metere ◽  
Richard Shillcock
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Academic Engagement ◽  
Source Code ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Reputation System ◽  
Available P ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
The Uk

The provision of higher education has been changing ever more quickly in the UK and worldwide, as a result of technological, economic, and geopolitical factors. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated such changes. The “student experience”—the interaction of students with their institution and with each other—has been changing accordingly, with less face-to-face contact. In this work, we have explored a way to improve student engagement in higher education. We describe “ValuED”, a blockchain-based trading platform using a cryptocurrency. It allows students both to buy and sell goods and services within their university community and to be rewarded for academic engagement. ValuED involves a reputation system to further incentivise participants. We describe the implementation and piloting of this platform and draw conclusions for its future use. The platform’s source code is publicly available.

scholarly journals Getting students engaged

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phil Race
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Education Experience ◽  
League Tables

We live and work in challenging times. Now that it seems certain (post Browne, 2010) that the fees students pay for their higher education experience will double (or worse), we can't be surprised that the emphasis on 'the student experience' of higher education will intensify. Whether students are saddling themselves with ever-increasing amounts of debt to afford that higher education experience, or whether it is parents who foot the bill, the spotlight continues to focus ever more sharply on student satisfaction, alongside all available measures of the quality of student engagement in higher education. We already have league tables in which the reflection of the student experience as gained from the National Student Survey features prominently. And with diminishing budgets for teaching, class sizes are likely to continue to grow - in those disciplines where higher education survives least scathed. So how can we meet the challenge of 'getting students engaged'?

Who sets the agenda on student engagement?

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily McIntosh ◽  
Duncan Cross
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Agenda Setting ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Education Funding ◽  
Higher Education Funding ◽  
Opinion Piece ◽  
Setting Approach ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Uk Higher Education

 The rise in UK university fees has prompted significant investment in the student experience, with increased emphasis on an agenda that promotes student engagement and partnership. Government papers, both white and green, have set out a policymaking agenda and have led to a reorganisation of the UK higher education funding structures, with the dissolution of long-standing funding bodies into the Office for Students. This enshrines chapter B6 of the QAA UK quality code for higher education with regard to student engagement and would appear to be a positive move forward. However, the Office for Students has limited student representation and this raises the question: ‘Who sets this agenda and who are the stakeholders?’ This opinion piece seeks both to highlight the necessity for a joint agenda-setting approach and to engage the community in developing a joint agenda on student engagement and partnership.

scholarly journals Building capabilities in chemistry education: happiness and discomfort through philosophical dialogue in chemistry

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 438-451
Author(s):  
Lynda Dunlop ◽  
Annie Hodgson ◽  
Joshua Edward Stubbs
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Chemistry Education ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Teaching Excellence ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Undergraduate Chemistry ◽  
Philosophical Dialogue ◽  
The Uk

Much attention is given to student satisfaction in higher education, driven in the UK by accountability mechanisms such as the National Student Survey (NSS) and the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). However satisfaction is both limited and limiting, depending on students’ expectations and often associated with the avoidance of difficulty and discomfort. A more appropriate outcome for higher education is well-being and ability to flourish. This paper identifies a gap in undergraduate chemistry education. Talking Chemistry created an extracurricular space for undergraduate chemistry students to build capabilities to flourish through philosophical dialogue about chemistry. It involved 25 undergraduates over one academic year (2018–2019). Drawing on ethnographic observations, questionnaires and in-depth semi-structured individual interviews, we argue that philosophical dialogue in undergraduate chemistry studies opens up opportunities for discomfort that can contribute to students’ capabilities to achieve happiness and well-being by challenging students to think about their subject in new ways. Philosophical dialogue is a missing component of chemistry education, and we present a model for introducing it into higher education.

scholarly journals Employment and further study outcomes for care-experienced graduates in the UK

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Harrison ◽  
Zoë Baker ◽  
Jacqueline Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Educational History ◽  
Care Experience ◽  
Local Practices ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Social Upheaval

AbstractLife outcomes for people who spent time in the care of the state as children (‘care-experienced’) are known to be significantly lower, on average, than for the general population. The reasons for this are complex and multidimensional, relating to social upheaval, disrupted schooling, mental and physical health issues and societal stigmatisation. Previous studies across several countries have demonstrated that they are significantly less likely to participate in higher education and more likely to withdraw early. However, little is currently known about their outcomes after graduation.This paper therefore explores the initial outcomes for the 1,010 full-time students identified as care-experienced within the cohort graduating from an undergraduate degree programme in the UK in 2016/17—the most recent year for which data are available. They were found to be slightly more likely to be unemployed and less likely to be in work (and particularly professional work) than their peers, but, conversely, more likely to be studying. These differences largely disappeared once background educational and demographic factors were controlled.The paper discusses the relationship between care-experience and other sites of inequality, concluding that care-experienced graduates are crucially over-represented in groups that are disadvantaged in the graduate labour market—e.g. by ethnicity, disability or educational history. This intersectional inequality largely explains their lower graduate outcomes. While there are important limitations with the data available, this speaks for the transformational potential of higher education in enabling care-experienced graduates to transcend childhood adversity. Recommendations for national policy and local practices conclude the paper.

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