The Fame Game

Evaluations of teaching, electronic or not, are here and here to stay if the US experience is anything to go by … and it is.  But let’s look at the teacher’s reactions and the emotional (psychological) place they come from, why this is so and how to best manage this.

The negative perception, culture and marketing of evaluation of teaching sees most teachers assume one of four default positions on the release (dissemination) of the evaluation results.  Described by Arthur (2009) as shame, blame, tame or reframe, each of these derives from a deficit model of investigation.  Each reaction assumes the worst and the recipient goes into defensive mode.  Shame or embarrassment manifests in self doubt and loss of confidence.  Blame is about externalising factors considered out of the lecturer’s control.  Tame is also externalising the reasons, as it’s the students who need to change.  Of the four, only the last, reframe, has any positive outcome possibility attached, and then only with a fix it mentality.

But why has this negative culture grown up around teaching evaluations?  I submit that it is in large part due to the historic use of the results:  professional development reviews, promotion check lists, evidence of problems.  All things that need a big stick.  Enter evaluations, the biggest most quantifiable stick available: efficient, consistent, reliable, valid … impersonal?

This brings us the aspect of context, which is really the beginning.  Teaching evaluations by themselves only tell the story from one perspective.  We need to be transparent and active in including other stakeholders in the observation.  As well as learner outcomes, the actual results of the students, a BETTER evaluation (Smith, C., 2008) incorporates Peer Observation and Reflective Practice.  Evaluations of teaching can be the beginning of something great: the conversations that develop a scholarly approach to teaching and learning, the gathering of evidence around teaching.

I purport that what is missing is the starting point of fame, where a positive research paradigm allows for the acknowledgement, reflection and celebration of teaching done well, as evidenced by learners telling us so.  From here evaluations can form part of a bigger picture of assessing and improving teaching.  They can be used for professional development, trying out new things (teaching methods and strategies), a starting point for discussion and growth, not an end point or fate accompli.  A new appreciative inquiry culture needs to be fostered by teaching and learning representatives to begin the conversation with the things that went well, moving to points for consideration and then ideas for improvement, and how we are going to support these teachers to implement them.

‘Evaluation is not primarily about the counting and measuring of things.  It entails valuing – and to do this we have to develop as connoisseurs and critics.’ (Smith, M., 2001)