An alternative approach for grading replaces conventional grades not with teachers' letters, but with a standardized form on which the teacher would rate each student in a number of the specific areas which are normally considered. A model for this approach is the sort of questionnaires used to elicit student evaluations of teaching performance.…

Does course evaluation by students aid students in selecting the "best" instructors? This and related questions were experimentally tested by University of Utah faculty members. (Editor/LBH)

Four tenets are described that will aid an instructor in planning an evaluation system. An introductory psychology course supplies specificity. (Editor/LBH)

The process of developing a policy and practice for dealing with student appeals about grades they have received is discussed. Starting point was a system already in use in another institution. A step-by-step analysis of the undertaking, including student representation, is described. (Editor/LBH)

Teachers of courses preparing teachers of driver education report a follow-up study which revealed that students have a better appreciation of a course after they have actually used the knowledge obtained. (Editor/LBH)

This study is an attempt to replicate earlier investigations at other institutions regarding the characteristics of an "ideal professor." Indiana University Northwest undergraduate and graduate students are in agreement about the most and least important characteristics: encouraging independent thinking, and liking college-age youth, respectively.…

The proper use of objective ratings in faculty evaluation can be diagnostic, motivational, and remedial. Faculty effectiveness should improve if valid factors, properly weighted, are used periodically to evaluate teachers through objective ratings. (LBH)

Reactions to a marking system proposed by Scott are offered and inconsistencies identified. It is suggested that Scott's system does not minimize any of the difficulties usually apparent in absolute systems and presents some new problems. (LBH)

The empirical testing of an objectively designed approach to student evaluation of sociology professors is reported. It combines the concept of student sub-cultural perception with the research method of matched-paired comparisons. (LBH)

A study at Virginia Commonwealth University showed that students were both consistent in evaluation of their teachers and sensitive to changes in teaching skill. (Editor/LBH)

In a study of 637 students enrolled in 17 classes, cognitive dissonance was shown to be an applicable but weak conceptual framework for understanding course evaluations. Results of this study are similar to those of an earlier investigation by Canter and Meisels. (LBH)

Evaluations from all students in a course on the last day of meeting are reported and analyzed by a professor of English at Virginia Commonwealth University. A mathematical formula for rating is shown. (Editor/LBH)

Students' assessments of one type of learning product, the term paper, were examined. The basic question underlying the project was whether students enrolled in college courses would be less adequate at assigning grades and ranks to their classmates' papers than would the instructors. A case is made for classmate evaluation. (LBH)

Instead of shying away from problem solving items, testing specialists should devise and offer guidelines for construction and scoring problem solving items. (Editor/LBH)

Focusing on the adolescent age group of college students, this paper addresses the physiological and psychological changes and conflicts experienced by them and the role of institutions and faculty in helping students prepare for life. (LBH)