What influences end-of-course evaluations? Teaching and learning vs. instrumental factors

Abstract

Student evaluations of courses and teaching in the form of end-of-course surveys are ubiquitous in higher education, and at many institutions they serve as the primary basis for evaluating teaching effectiveness in the promotion and tenure process. Course evaluations of teaching are also controversial. It is often asserted that students use them to reward professors for easy courses and punish them for demanding ones, and many faculty believe that students' evaluations are influenced by their expected grade. This study investigates the relative influence of teaching and learning versus instrumental influences in students' overall course evaluation ratings using data from a diverse sample of 44 four-year institutions.