RESOLUTION ON EVALUATION OF TEACHING

Whereas: Student evaluations of teaching were devised primarily for the benefit of instructors for improving their teaching, and

Whereas: The results of these evaluations now have become a factor for decisions about promotion, tenure, salary adjustments, etc. by peers, department heads, deans, and provost, and

Whereas: Adequate response rates on student evaluations are necessary for their reliable use in such important decisions, and

Whereas: Student evaluation response rates vary greatly and,

Whereas: The Evaluation of Teaching Committee and the Faculty Senate have reviewed the use of various forms of incentives to increase the student response rate of the online teaching evaluations and they have concluded that the incentives could potentially skew the results, be it

Resolved: That no form of incentive should be used to increase the response rate, and

Resolved: That, departmental voting faculty should determine whether mandatory student evaluations of teaching will be employed in decisions that affect the employment status or compensation of faculty, and, if such evaluations are to be so utilized, further be it

Resolved: That, departmental voting faculty should establish, before student evaluations of teaching are administered, a reasonable minimum response rate, and

Resolved: That if the rate of response does not meet this level, the evaluations should not be included in faculty dossiers, or utilized for any purpose.

Resolution: R5: 07/08
First Reading: March 25, 2008
Second Reading: April 22, 2008
Adopted: April 22, 2008