According to Centra (2003), “Bias exists when a student, teacher, or course characteristic affects the evaluations made, either positively or negatively, but is unrelated to any criteria of good teaching, such as increased student learning.”

Many factors can negatively affect course ratings, including:  class enrollment, physical space, first time teaching a course, first time teaching at all, preparation time (or lack thereof), trying a new teaching strategy, changing teaching methods or assignments, the level of the class, required courses vs. electives, and amount of teaching assistant support. Positive factors include seniority of the instructor, instructor rapport, student motivation and preparation, class size, level of the course within the major, and discipline, with humanities courses often rating more favorably than those in math and science classes.

Bias is not monolithic. It is essential to consider if the bias is widespread and strong enough to overwhelm the students’ ratings of the faculty member’s teaching or course environment to reflect that bias (Linse, 2017). 

Student ratings provide formative information often used in summative evaluations for professional advancement. An analysis is necessary to consider how to leverage the positive aspects of the course, minimize some of the less successful elements of the course, and address misperceptions regarding the course early in the semester. Some ideas to keep in mind (derived from McGill University) include:

• Balance student written comments with the quantitative ratings. Otherwise, negative comments may be given more weight than is appropriate.
• Look for repeated patterns in the comments to identify areas of importance to the class as a whole. However, do not dismiss a statement out of hand if it comes from only one student.
• Positive comments tend to be more general, whereas negative comments focus on a particular aspect of a course.
• Comments on items outside of an instructor’s control, such as scheduling, class length, timing, and frequency, are critical and can be discussed within the department.
• After reading through your students’ written comments, make an initial assessment and determine possible next steps, such as sharing your ideas and questions with a teaching mentor, colleague, or staff within CELT.

The Student Ratings Analysis Worksheet can help make sense of student responses. In Part 1, a table is provided for categorization to organize student comments. Part 2 offers guiding questions for reflection and next steps.

Remember that small changes can have significant effects. Some student comments might be immediately actionable, while others take additional time and effort. Teaching mentors, colleagues, and CELT staff can be beneficial in discerning the value and context of the student comments.

Evidence and research-based strategies for enhancing student ratings reflect best teaching practices. These include:

1. Ensure Course Alignment: Implementing course alignment results in explicitly linking course learning objectives to teaching and learning activities, classroom assessments, and evaluation.
2. Increase Relevance: Today’s students are busy, technologically savvy, and multitaskers. To help them, we can provide background knowledge in our subject areas. We need to share the rationale behind our designed learning activities and assessments. Make invisible expectations explicit by beginning class sessions by stating, “We are learning this because …” When students understand why and how the material is relevant to them, they find more motivation to study and end up rating the course more highly.
3. Establish clear criteria for grading. All students want good grades, and they want to know precisely how to get those grades. Today, college students have experienced criteria sheets and rubrics since elementary school, and they want the same in college. They want to know where they stand on any given day in the semester.
4. Create an inclusive environment. Inclusive pedagogy at its core is a student-centered approach to teaching that faculty create an inviting and engaging learning environment for all the students with varied backgrounds, interests, and physical and cognitive abilities in the classroom. Take deliberate steps to ensure that all students feel welcomed and supported in the classroom.
5. Get formative feedback early. The end-of-course survey is summative. Although it aims to help us improve future courses, it does not enable us to respond to the needs of the students currently enrolled in the class. Formative feedback collected early in the course accomplishes that goal.