 |
 |
Whenever this debate arises, as it often does, I reflect on my experiences as a soccer referee. In our college & university association we instituted a grading sheet to be filled out by coaches after a game, with 1s as poor and 5s as excellent. In the first year no winning coach gave lower than a 3, and no losing coach gave higher than a 3. Romie Frederick Littrell, BA, MBA, PhD, FIAIR Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand IV. 1st stanza, War is Kind and Other Lines, Stephen Crane, 1899 A little ink more or less! It surely can't matter? Even the sky and the opulent sea, The plains and the hills, aloof, Hear the uproar of all these books. But it is only a little ink more or less. ________________________________ From: Nnamdi Madichie <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Tuesday, 14 August 2012 1:07 AM Subject: [AIB-L] Should Student Evaluations Be Anonymous? Dear Colleagues, I came across this piece and thought it worthy of debate on this listserv. While the answer to the question (see the email subject) may not be a straighforward "yes" or "no" - going by the comments on the Chronicle of Higher Education site where it was posted; see: http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/should-student-evalutions-be-anonymous/33905 I think, to some extent, anonymity may be waived, if transparency is what HEIs aspire to. Indeed such waivers need to be invoked especially where such evaluations can result in "firing" decisions by the higher administration. It also goes to highlight the reliability and validity concerns revolving around the students' evaluation of teaching (SETs) as a tool for identifying, and possibly addressing, learning needs/ achievements of students vis-a-vis faculty reviews (for tenure, promotion or even the sack). As always, your views on this topic are most welcome, as the debate on the academic freedom of faculty and the rights of students rages on. In the mean, however, perhaps something called the student charter may need to be reconsidered where students begin to be seen in the light of "employees with a contract" rather than fee paying "customers" of the university, "who are always right!" On a parting note, does the payment of tuition fees confer upon one the unreserved right to pass? Over to you. Regards, Nnamdi Madichie____ AIB-L is brought to you by the Academy of International Business. For information: http://aib.msu.edu/community/aib-l.asp To post message: [log in to unmask] For assistance: [log in to unmask] AIB-L is a moderated list. ____ AIB-L is brought to you by the Academy of International Business. For information: http://aib.msu.edu/community/aib-l.asp To post message: [log in to unmask] For assistance: [log in to unmask] AIB-L is a moderated list.