Student ratings of teaching quality in primary school: Dimensions and prediction of student outcomes

The contribution examines theoretical foundations, factorial structure, and predictive power of student ratings of teaching quality. Three basic dimensions of teaching quality have previously been described: classroom management, cognitive activation, and supportive climate. However, student ratings, especially those provided by primary school students, have been criticised for being biased by factors such as teacher popularity. The present study examines ratings of teaching quality and science learning among third graders. Results of multilevel confirmatory factor analyses (N = 1556 students, 89 classes) indicate that the three-dimensional model of teaching quality can be replicated in ratings of third graders. In a longitudinal study (N = 1070 students, 54 classes), we found ratings of classroom management to predict student achievement, and ratings of cognitive activation and supportive climate to predict students' development of subject-related interest after teacher popularity is controlled for. The analyses show that student ratings can be useful measures of teaching quality in primary school.     

Community-oriented medical education

Community-orientated medicine is a topical area for debate in the current discussions about medical education, but it can be agued that medical education has always been in the community because medical practice is located therein. It is widely accepted that community settings provide a wealth of learning opportunities for students and trainees and can help address some of the problems being experienced in the hospital settings in relation to the expansion of the sector. This paper seeks to offer a personal viewpoint on community and community-oriented medical education and then considers different models of community medical education and the resource implications for such approaches.     

Curriculum development in medical education: From acronyms to dynamism

Medical education is a rapidly expanding discipline with its practitioners drawn from a mix of backgrounds. Among them there is an increased understanding of the centrality of the curriculum process in the translation of educational ideas in practice. There are four main trends that underlie this increased understanding: a widened conception of the major elements of curriculum and their interactivity; a more conceptual and global view of curriculum, the incorporation of ideas from the educational literature and the need for a dynamic overarching model of curriculum. The latter will provide a framework for the ongoing curriculum challenges in the field.     

The construction and validation of a usability evaluation survey for mobile learning environments

The advent of mobile technologies in learning context, has been increased the requirements for developing appropriate usability model to align with mobile learning applications. Even though mobile learning has been studied from different aspects of pedagogy environment and technology acceptance, there is little scientific and published research on usability of mobile learning applications. To fill up the gap, in this study, a usability evaluation model with the inclusion of timeliness is developed to assess the usability of mobile learning applications. Timeliness or response time as an important feature in mobile learning, which influences learning satisfaction, can be considered to evaluate the peers and instructors’ timely response. The main objective of this study is to construct and validate a usability evaluation survey for mobile learning environments. This study employed a two round Delphi method to empirically verify the usability questionnaire by obtaining a consensus from fourteen experts regarding the questionnaire items. Results indicate that over 88% of experts have consented on all usability items represented in the usability questionnaire. The usability evaluation survey for mobile learning applications can help to improve user satisfaction and reductions in training costs. The decrease in costs attracts many researchers, interface designers and project managers to employ the usability evaluation when designing the interfaces for mobile learning applications.     

Instructors’ perspectives on the utility of student ratings of instruction

This study investigates instructors’ attitudes about student ratings of instruction. The sample consisted of 357 instructors at a major Canadian university, where student evaluation is carried out in all courses at the end of each term. Instructors tend to agree that the student rating practice is an acceptable means of assessing institutional integrity, and is useful to administrators in making summative decisions. However, they consider the student evaluations only marginally valuable in their impact on enhancing instruction. Implications for the development of student ratings are discussed.     

Interpreting and using student ratings data: Guidance for faculty serving as administrators and on evaluation committees

This article is about the accurate interpretation of student ratings data and the appropriate use of that data to evaluate faculty. Its aim is to make recommendations for use and interpretation based on more than 80 years of student ratings research. As more colleges and universities use student ratings data to guide personnel decisions, it is critical that administrators and faculty evaluators have access to research-based information about their use and interpretation.The article begins with an overview of common views and misconceptions about student ratings, followed by clarification of what student ratings are and are not. Next are two sections that provide advice for two audiences—administrators and faculty evaluators—to help them accurately, responsibly, and appropriately use and interpret student ratings data. A list of administrator questions is followed by a list of advice for faculty responsible for evaluating other faculty members’ records.     

加拿大和英国医学院校的课程地图

本文对英国和加拿大医学院校课程地图(CM)的建设现状、特征、挑战和成功的方面进行了调查研究。结果显示,已有20%的学校完成了CM的构建,而大多数院校正在着力构建中;在CM的构建中,使用了各种不同的软件;当前主要的挑战是对人力的需求、医学本体论的应用、教师发展和接口设计。     

The use of secondary school student ratings of their teacher’s skillfulness for low-stake assessment and high-stake evaluation

Previous studies in higher education have shown that the reliability of student ratings of teaching skill increases if multiple ratings by different students are aggregated. This study examines the generalizability of these findings to the context of secondary education. Also, it seeks to validate these findings by comparing reliability levels estimated by the routinely used nested design with those estimated using a more complex design. The sample consisted of 410 students from 17 classes rating 63 teachers working at eight schools across the Netherlands. Using the nested design, the study replicates findings of previous studies in higher education. The findings illustrate how the reliability level of secondary school students’ ratings increases with an increasing number of students. However, these replicated reliability levels were not validated by the more complex design which provided lower estimates. This indicates that the nested design may not provide accurate estimations of rating reliability.     

Who is the expert? Construct and criteria validity of student and teacher ratings of instruction

In this article, we examine the construct and criteria validity of student and teacher ratings as indicators of instructional features. As parsimonious measures, student and teacher reports are frequently used to assess aspects of the learning environment. From a methodological perspective, however, both approaches have been questioned. Whereas student ratings are occasionally criticised as being undifferentiated and easily influenced by personal preferences, teacher reports are sometimes considered to be biased by self-serving strategies or teaching ideals. Instead of pitting one method against the other, our study aimed at establishing the specific value of each approach. The analyses draw on data from a German extension to the 2003 PISA assessment, in which 288 mathematics teachers and their students completed questionnaires using identical items to tap various aspects of instruction. Mean student ratings were computed for each class. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed specific conceptual structures for student and teacher ratings, with teachers elaborating on the use of tasks and methods, and students focusing on their teacher’s support in personal and learning matters. Three shared dimensions were also established: occurrence of classroom management problems, degree of cognitive autonomy during lessons, and tempo of interaction. Teacher/student agreement on these dimensions varied across constructs, with considerable agreement on classroom management, low agreement on cognitive autonomy, and no significant agreement on whether or not the interaction tempo was appropriate. Accordingly, correlations with external criteria (student motivation, teacher motivation, mathematical achievement scores, and characteristics of the tasks set in class) also varied across constructs. We conclude that student and teacher ratings are best suited to tapping different aspects of the learning environment, and recommend that care be taken in choosing a data source appropriate for the construct to be measured.

Change in Student Perceptions of Course and Instructor Following Curriculum Change

Ongoing curriculum change in higher education is essential to enhance student learning and better prepare them for the job‐market. However, research shows that faculty are reluctant to implement such changes because students generally react adversely thereby negating any potential benefits, and moreover, sanction faculty through lower evaluations and future enrollment. Yet, understanding of the effect of curriculum changes on students’ course and instructor perceptions is limited. In this article we attempt to fill this gap. Drawing on two empirical findings—students’ motivation to attend college becoming increasingly extrinsic since the 1960s and their inability to recognize, ex ante, the value‐added by a curriculum change—and the norm life‐cycle theory, we argue that any effort‐increasing or grade‐threatening change is viewed as non‐normative and will lead to an adverse student reaction. However, this adverse reaction will dissipate over time once a critical mass of students is convinced of the merits of the new curriculum. We find support for our hypotheses by analyzing change in student perceptions following curriculum changes at a U.S. University. In addition, we also find that once the adverse reaction dissipates, students’ perceptions of the new curriculum become more positive than the old curriculum, only to be reversed once the revised curriculum is accepted as the new norm.     

中学生学习动机问卷的初步编制

中学生学习动机问卷的编制遵循标准化的程序,采用探索性因素分析和验证性因素分析方法,问卷的内在一致性信度系数和重测信度系数达到0．7,学习动机的结构拟合良好,因素载荷在0．4—0．9之间,效标效度基本符合测量学的要求,中学生学习动机问卷是一个信、效度良好,具有五因素结构的测量工具。     

《中级财务会计》课程建设之实践教学设计

《中级财务会计》课程作为会计学专业的主干课程,在课程体系中起着承上启下的作用.通过本课程的教学活动,学生能够掌握企业会计信息制作的基本规范与技术方法,了解新企业会计准则的主要内容及其应用方法,能够将财务会计理论和方法与其他专业课程的知识体系交叉融合;将自主学习能力与创新精神、追求个性和全面发展等有机结合,从而培养学生的综合素质与能力.     

Teacher effectiveness and teacher growth from student ratings: An action research of school-based teacher evaluation

Teacher effectiveness evaluations are considered an effective mechanism for promoting teacher growth. We implemented teacher effectiveness evaluations in three Chinese secondary schools over two years and (a) developed an action research framework for school-based teacher evaluations composed of five links, i.e., purpose and consensus, data collection and analysis, data interpretation and feedback, data use, and evaluation of the actions and (b) found that “school-based” instruments of student ratings have valid statistical properties, and teacher effectiveness can be regarded as a single-factor holistic concept in different schools. We also (c) analysed 2-year longitudinal data and identified changing trajectories of teacher effectiveness as an example for data feedback and use. Teacher effectiveness presents changing trajectories for different subgroups, representing different ecologies in three schools and provides insights for teacher growth. A (d) meta-evaluation of the actions shows that most teachers are positive about this evaluation, although differences are observed between schools.     

开放教育选修类课程考核方案改革探析——以法学专业为例

远程开放教育的一个重要特点是师生处于准分离的状态,因此借助一定的手段加强师生互动、监督和评价学生的学习效果,变得尤为重要,加强课程考核环节是实现上述目标的重要内容。以法学专业《环境法学与草原法学》为样本,从分析传统课程考核方案存在的问题入手,积极探索开放教育课程考核方案改革,以期强化教学质量。     

Pre-vocational education in the curriculum: the case of Norwegian lower secondary education

This article investigates the composition of the Norwegian lower secondary school curriculum with a special emphasis on pre-vocational education from a contemporary perspective. The data consist of four official national curricula enacted from the 1970s until the present. Despite differences between the curricula, the main structure of school subjects has remained stable over time. Norwegian lower secondary school curricula mainly include academic subjects, even though pre-vocational education is, to varying degrees, present in all curricula, especially amongst elective subjects. This consolidated position of academic subjects results in a consistency in the composition of the curriculum. Curriculum change is most likely to happen amongst electives and is related to changes in policy making and societal changes. Pre-vocational education is mainly included in the first and current curriculum contrary to the second and third curriculum. These findings indicate that the international policy agenda and its emphasis on the relevance of education through stressing the linkage between education and the world of work only has a minor impact on Norwegian curricula. Further, the allocation of teaching hours shows that the status of pre-vocational subjects is low compared to that of academic subjects. International policies emphasizing basic skills strengthen the academic subjects even further.     

Perceived autonomy support,intrinsic motivation,and student ratings of instruction

Motivation theory suggests that autonomy supportiveness in instruction often leads to many positive outcomes in the classroom, such as higher levels of intrinsic motivation and engagement. The purpose of this study was to determine whether perceived autonomy support and course-related intrinsic motivation in college classrooms positively predict student ratings of instruction. Data were collected from 47 undergraduate education courses and 914 students. Consistent with expectations, the results indicated that both intrinsic motivation and autonomy support were positively associated with multiple dimensions of student ratings of instruction. Results also showed that intrinsic motivation moderated the association between autonomy support and instructional ratings—the higher intrinsic motivation, the less predictive autonomy support, and the lower intrinsic motivation, the more predictive autonomy support. These results suggest that incorporating classroom activities that engender autonomy support may lead to improved student perceptions of classroom instruction and may also enhance both student motivation and learning.     

树立医德与医术融合统一的医学教育观

当前我国医患矛盾所引发的问题已成为社会关注的热点,虽然成因十分复杂,但不可否认医务人员在某些素养方面的缺失无疑也是造成医患关系紧张与恶化的原因之一。要重塑医务人员的良好形象,构建和谐医患关系,必须从医学生教育和培养这个源头做起。本文从医学职业专业化追溯医学教育的本质属性,明确医德与医术的辩证关系;通过医术与医德相融合的医学教育实践的案例来阐明如何真正践行医学教育本质;通过对当前我国医学教育中存在的问题的探讨,提出在医学教育中促进医德与医术融合统一的具体建议。     

What contemporary work are student ratings actually doing in higher education?

It is conventionally assumed that student ratings perform a significant function in driving improvement in pedagogical practices in higher education. As a result, this form of evaluation has gradually become institutionalised in recent decades as an essential proxy for understanding teaching and course quality in universities across the world. However, with the rise of market-based models in higher education and heightened expectations for accountability mechanisms, the role and functional purpose of ratings-based student evaluation have become increasingly confused. This rising ambiguity has created strong tensions between the seminal drive of student ratings as a tool of quality improvement, and the emerging demands for its use as a transparent accountability measure for the comparative assessment of academic performativity. So are student ratings now largely a tool of quality assurance or performance measurement, or do they remain a legitimate tool for pedagogical improvement? This paper reports on a study that responded to this critical question by considering the contemporary work of student ratings in a major Australian university. The outcomes of this research demonstrate that tension between improvement and accountability motives is causing considerable confusion and discord around the role and value of the student voice. It also reveals that academics are tending to discount the often critical insights of students on the implications of their pedagogical practices as a result of the elevating institutional role of student ratings as a proxy for teaching quality. In considering these outcomes, rising levels of academic dissonance around student ratings would suggest a necessity to consider broadened evaluative strategies that are able to more effectively capture the improvement potential offered by the student voice.     

A critique of the internship measurement scales in higher education

This article is a critical review of the internship measurement scales in higher education. Although the importance of internships is widely acknowledged in the literature, there is a scarcity of attempts to construct a scale to measure internship outcomes. In fact, a thorough examination of the internship literature reveals that there are only two internship measurement scales, which are relatively recent. It is a widespread practice that empirical studies in this area use job-related scales in their endeavour to measure internship-related constructs such as internship satisfaction and internship effectiveness. This is mostly due to the lack of available internship scales and partly due to the naive assumption that job-related scales can be somehow altered and may readily be adapted to internship-related contexts, disregarding the contextual and contractual differences between a job and an internship. This casts doubt on the validity of the findings in those studies. However, the valid measurement of internships is not only necessary to meet the highest academic standards but also to make evidence-based employability policies in higher education institutions. Therefore, this article aims to highlight the need to measure internship processes more effectively based on a sound method and bring this issue to the attention of the research community worldwide. To that end, the existing scales of internship are critically examined and areas for improvements are highlighted.     

Assessing the validity and reliability of a quick scan for student's evaluation of teaching. Results from confirmatory factor analysis and G Theory

Using confirmatory factor analysis and G Theory analysis, this article explores the reliability and the validity of a short version of the SET37 questionnaire for students’ evaluation of teaching (SET). The results show that this instrument can be used as a valuable diagnostic instrument for gathering student feedback in internal practices and procedures aimed at both monitoring and improving the quality of instruction in higher education.