What’s the “Use” of Student Ratings of Instruction for Administrators? One University’s Experience

Oct 15, 2026

Student ratings of instruction are widely used in Canadian and American higher education to evaluate teaching and support decisions. While earlier work examined instructors’ concerns about validity, less attention has been given to how administrators apply this information. This study surveyed 52 administrators at a major Canadian university to identify rating types used, perceived usefulness, and intended purpose. Results show generally positive views, with reservations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Research purpose and context

Data collection and administrator perspectives

CSSHE SCÉES Canadian Journal of Higher Education Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur Volume 37, No. 1, 2007, pages 27-43 [www.ingentaconnect.com/content/csshe/cjhe](www.ingentaconnect.com/content/csshe/cjhe) What’s the “Use” of Student Ratings of Instruction for Administrators? One University’s Experience Tanya Beran Claudio Violato Don Kline University of Calgary ABSTRACT At most Canadian and American community colleges and universities, student ratings have been implemented as a means of evaluating course instruction. Although concerns regarding the validity of student ratings from instructors’ perspectives have been studied quite extensively, issues associated with the use of student ratings information by administrators have been largely ignored. In this study, we surveyed 52 administrators at a major Canadian university about the types of ratings they use, how useful they are, and their purpose. Our ﬁndings indicate that administrators are interested in knowing about instructor characteristics and teaching procedures. In addition, ratings are being used for instructor and department evaluation as well as scheduling courses. In general, administrators regard student ratings positively and think that they are useful. However, they have some reservations. RÉSUMÉ Dans la majorité des collèges et des universités, les étudiants évaluent leurs professeurs. Les inquiétudes de la validité de ces évaluations selon les professeurs, ont été bien etudiées, mais l’utilization et les perspectives des administrateurs n’ont pas été etudiées. Dans cet étude 52 adminstrateurs dans une grande université Canadienne ont répondu aux 28 CJHE / RCES Volume 37, No. 1, 2007 questions selon les evaluations. Les résultats indiquent que les administrateurs s’intéressent aux caractéristiques des professeurs et de leursapprentissages. De plus, les administrateurs utilisent les évaluations pour organiser les cours. En general, les administrateurs ont donné des réponses très positives avec peu de réservations. Since their inception in the 1920s, the use of student ratings for the evaluation of instruction has proliferated to the point that they are now used regularly at almost all universities and community colleges in Canada and the United States (Algozzine et al., 2004) . Student ratings have been administered with the intention of providing instructional feedback to instructors (their “formative”function), to inform students in regard to course selection, and to make personnel decisions about instructors (their “summative” function) . Indeed, administrators may make extensive use of student ratings information more than do instructors (Beran, Violato, Kline, & Frideres, 2005) . Considering the potential impact of the use or misuse of student ratings information on instructor promotion and tenure decisions, it is important to investigate the type of information that administrators consider useful, the reasons they use the ratings, the type(s) of information used, and their attitudes about the adequacy of this method. The major purpose of the present paper is to further investigate the use of student ratings of instruction by administrators within the context of a major research university. In an attempt to meet demands for accountability in higher education, student ratings have become widespread and standardized (Hourcade, Parette,& Anderson, 2003; Nasser & Fresko, 2002) . Even decisions about ﬁnancial support to a university may be affected by ratings results (Hourcade et al., 2003) . The use of student ratings has also been described as “a politically expedient performance measure for quality monitoring” (Penny & Coe, 2004, p. 215) . Hence, ratings have obtained considerable prominence in demonstrating value in higher education. An extensive body of research on the reliability and validity of student ratings has been accumulated (Ali & Sell, 1998; Greenwald, 2002; Ory & Ryan, 2001; Schmelkin, Spencer, & Gellman, 1997)

FAQs

What is the main focus of the study on student ratings?

The study investigates how administrators use student ratings of instruction, including what rating information they consider useful, why they use it, and their attitudes toward the method.

How were administrators’ use and perceptions of ratings examined?

The researchers surveyed 52 administrators at a major Canadian university, asking about the types of ratings used, how useful they are, and their purpose.

What overall view did administrators have about student ratings?

Administrators generally regarded student ratings positively and considered them useful, but they also reported some reservations.

Oct 15, 2026

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