Student evaluations given more clout

The Arizona Board of Regents in January initiated an annual review process for faculty members that makes student evaluations the most significant measure of an instructor's effectiveness, said faculty chairman Jerry Hogle.

"The evaluations as they're being published now are partly a way of holding the faculty accountable to students for their teaching," Hogle said.

If a faculty member gets bad marks during his or her annual evaluation, which measures teaching, research, creative work and service accomplishments, the post-tenure review kicks into gear. Department heads and deans who examine faculty alert Provost Paul Sypherd to problem cases.

But Sypherd said scathing student reviews alone are not enough to cause an administrator to fire a faculty member. Administrative and peer assessments are taken into consideration as well.

It is almost impossible for assistant professors to receive tenure at the UA if they get bad annual reviews, Sypherd said.

When the regents in 1995 called for a review of tenured professors, the University of Arizona looked closer at student evaluations, Hogle said.

In the past, faculty members just got a slap on the wrist for poor teaching evaluations, he said.

But now, as part of post-tenure review, teachers who get bad reviews are asked to complete a plan outlining steps for improvement. The schedule is tailored to individual cases. If the plan is not completed, the faculty member's employment can be terminated.

Annual and post-tenure reviews helped create uniform evaluation criteria for all faculty members, said Elizabeth Ervin, UA's vice provost for academic personnel.

"Old (tenured) professors may still have less trouble than others, but now they have more trouble than before," Hogle said.

He said that faculty members will not get in trouble if they receive one or two negative student reviews.

"It's fairly common for professors who receive good evaluations otherwise to have a portion of students dissatisfied," Hogle said. "You can't please everybody, especially in a general education course."

If a number of students determine that a faculty member is inadequate, they should contact the department head, he said.

Student evaluations can also do a great deal to help faculty members' careers, Hogle said. The University Distinguished Professor Award, which is given to outstanding faculty members, is based primarily on student evaluations and letters.