Teacher evaluations: Useful or worthless?

It's the same story every semester.

Just before finals, students put the No. 2 pencils to work evaluating professors and in-structors. Many fill out the forms with the idea that those computer-coded sheets of circles and numbers will slip into a black hole of oblivion, never to be seen again.

That may be true to a certain extent, Faculty Senate President Donna Don-athan says.

"There are faculty who simply throw them away," she said. "I look at mine, but I would like them to be more applicable to class matter."

Professor of Spanish John Welch says he reviews his evaluations, "although, more specific information would be more valuable."

Many students said teacher evaluations are meaningless. Some even claim to darken circles without regard to the questions.

However, those same students would not attach a name to the statements for fear of some type of future bias against them.

"I think if they made (evaluation results) public, students would give more criticism, take it more seriously," Proctorville sophomore Otis Alderige said.

Student Government Association (SGA) President Brandi Jacobs made that issue part of her campaign platform last year.

SGA adviser and associate dean of students Steve Hensley said making results public currently is up for debate in the SGA.

"I like that," Charleston sophomore Lauren Hodge said. "It needs to be known."

Donathan doesn't have any problem with putting results on display. Two years ago, she volunteered the results of her evaluations for unrestricted viewing. Not one student requested the documents.

Donathan said the biggest problem does not lie with the issue of public or private, but rather that the evaluations do not reflect teaching effectiveness.

"I don't know that it is the most effective way," she said.

Marshall shelled out nearly $1,000 two years ago for the current evaluations, Mike McGuffey, director of institutional research, said.

Dr. Lynn Rigsbee, a political science professor who teaches research and data analysis, said the evaluations are obscure. He blames the lack of course-specific questions on institutional pressure to standardize.

Rigsbee said ease and simplicity have a direct impact on the thoroughness of the evaluations, meaning quality has been traded for a generic questionnaire. That makes it easy for the institution to make comparisons between academic departments across campus, Rigsbee said.

"It is difficult to tailor a universal form to a series of disciplines," he said. "Individual department evaluations would be better."

Welch and Donathan agree. Both wanted to see questions dealing with more specific classroom strategies.

McGuffey compiles all the information once evaluations are complete and then sends the results to faculty. He said departments have a menu of about 200 questions that may be added to the evaluations in order to make them more department-specific. Deans and department chairpersons have the luxury of choosing additional inquiries, McGuffey said.

As for students, space for written comments is provided.

Donathan said students have other options.

"Go to the dean or chair," she said, "and don't wait until the end of the semester. If that isn't a better option, there is a student legal aid office in the student center."

#There, a mediator can work on problems between students and faculty so concerns do not go unnoticed, she said.

Despite the unpopularity of the evaluations, professors and students remain in a vicious cycle of questions and responses. Mostly because the university requires it, although some professors like Welch have decided to administer additional evaluations for personal use.

Others use the results for promotion and tenure.

According to Marshall's Greenbook of teacher guidelines, professors must demonstrate proficiency in the classroom. That is where evaluation results prove true. Professors summarize the results and include them with tenure application papers.

The irony comes for students who do not complete evaluations sincerely. Students' marks can help or hinder instructors when they request tenure, said Dr. Karen Simpkins, associate professor and faculty member since 1976.

Donathan doesn't think tenure should be permanent. She says it should be used to attract and keep the best professors. Under the current tenure system, evaluations for professors who already have obtained it may be meaningless, she said.

The evaluations become important for professors again when retirement becomes an issue, Simpkins said.

"(Evaluation results) give you something to combat the university forcing you to retire," she said. "You can keep on working on a year-to-year basis."

People interested in expressing their opinions may attend SGA meetings at 4 p.m. Tuesdays in Memorial Student Center 2W29B.