TEACHING EVALUATIONS AS A SITE OF INSTITUTIONAL INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE CULTURE

Abstract

Student evaluations of teaching are a controversial medium; there's some meaningful information and some bias encoded in the data. Many institutions have recognized this and adjusted in terms of how quantitative information is used in promotion and retention decisions, but they are (mostly) ignoring the harms that student evaluations can have on instructors. The anonymous open-ended feedback students provide is specifically a place that enables trolling. Trolling has negative effects on instructors, especially instructors of color and women in male-coded disciplines. There are some things institutions can do about it.