Two questions are addressed: (1) What set of courses, in terms of theme and content, should a student be exposed to in order to achieve his general education? (2) By whom should general education courses be taught? Measures for maintaining the quality of the general education staff and its teaching effectiveness are discussed. (LBH)

The evaluation process as it affects teacher improvement was examined at Carleton College. Assumptions were made regarding the nature and use of student evaluation of teaching and from them a series of procedures was created for securing student evaluations in written form. (LBH)

Research on the validity of student rating scales of teacher performance is inconsistent, and the issue of why the scales are used needs examination. Until their criterion validity is raised to correlations of .7 to .8 or construct validity can be established, results should not be used in making tenure decisions. (MSE)

Suggestions for improving the design and use of student evaluation forms include tailoring the forms to the class needs and format, wording statements carefully, training students to evaluate performance, allowing ample time for completion, handling the evaluation procedure without involvement of the professor, and eliminating student anonymity.…

Relationships among teaching effectiveness; publication productivity; and rewards in a non-university setting are examined. The data indicate that even in a non-university setting, frequency of nomination as an outstanding teacher by students was not realted to either salary or rank, and frequency of nomination by colleagues was also unrelated to…

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)

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 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)

A study of the effectiveness of teaching assistants is reported with many direct quotations from the 534 suggestions received. Topics included attitudes, teaching quality, amount of responsibility, availability, coordination with professors, evaluation, knowledge of subject matter, and mastery of English language by foreign assistants. (Editor/LBH)

Thirty-six high-achieving students at San Jose State College were surveyed on the quality of the university's instruction, with the intent of compiling a monograph of the results to stimulate campus-wide student-faculty discussion of ways to improve teaching. The questionnaire is included. (MSE)

A study of student assessment of teaching assistants in physical education activity courses is described. The purpose of the study was to compare student ratings of instructional effectiveness with teaching assistants' traits of sex, age, degree, undergraduate major, and teaching experience. (MLW)

The criteria and methods for evaluating faculty who teach undergraduates only are discussed with special emphasis on those teaching at lower-division campuses. It is suggested that there would be more effort expended to teach well if faculty knew that effort and performance as teachers were respected and rewarded. (MLW)

A study is discussed that examined: the instructional weaknesses and strengths of a teacher education curriculum course, the specific teaching behaviors that students liked and disliked, and specific recommendations which students felt would promote greater teacher effectiveness and improve learning. (Author/MLW)

In order to examine the value of student evaluations of faculty, a survey of seniors regarding the quality of teaching they received in their four years of undergraduate college was undertaken. Topics include: the qualities of the best and worst teachers; preferred teaching methods; and faculty age, educational background, and department…