Moving towards multidimensional evaluation of teaching in higher education: A study across four faculties

The article investigates the issue of teaching evaluation in higher education, providing a picture of the phenomenon into the Italian specific context within a European dimension. Starting from the premise that in Italian universities, teaching evaluation is based on general indicators which reflect a simplification of a complex phenomenon, scientific research related to teaching evaluation in higher education is presented and discussed. In this perspective, it will be argued that nature of teaching evaluation is characterized by multidimensionality and complexity. Only in this way it can represent a useful instrument for the improvement of teaching process and for the comprehension of the importance of being effective teachers. Moreover, on the basis of a participative model, it seems important to involve teachers and students in the formulation of relevant questions related to teaching. The aim of the research is represented by highlighting the specific aspects of teaching process dependent from the context through a comparison among faculties. Seventy interviews have been carried out with teachers and students of the same four faculties (Humanities, Psychology, Educational Sciences, Mathematics and Natural Sciences). Qualitative analysis of the data collected are conducted using the scientific software Atlas.ti. The outcomes confirm our initial assumptions showing differences among the four faculties considering the multiple dimensions of the university teaching.

[1]  K. Arrow.  Higher education as a filter , 1973 .

[2]  David Crosier,et al.  Trends V : Universities shaping the European Higher Education Area AN EUA REPORT , 2007 .

[3]  Tony Becher,et al.  Academic Tribes and Territories: Intellectual Enquiry and the Cultures of Disciplines , 1991 .

[4]  F. Martínez.  El proceso de enseñanza / aprendizaje en la situación educativa , 1997 .

[5]  S. Bigger,et al.  Teaching appraisal in higher education: an Australian perspective , 1997 .

[6]  M. Scriven.  Evaluation Theory and Metatheory , 2003 .

[7]  J. Bradley Cousins,et al.  Utilization Effects of Participatory Evaluation , 2003 .

[8]  E. Kemp.  Metaphor as a Tool for Evaluation , 1999 .

[9]  F. Betoret,et al.  Evaluation of the University Teaching/Learning Process for the Improvement of Quality in Higher Education , 2003 .

[10]  Jouni Kekale.  Quality assessment in diverse disciplinary settings , 2000 .

[11]  Zita M. Wagner.  Using Student Journals for Course Evaluation , 1999 .

[12]  R. Semeraro.  Università e processi di valutazione: un dibattito aperto , 2003 .

[13]  Herbert W. Marsh,et al.  Multiple dimensions of university teacher self-concept , 2000 .

[14]  Daniel L. Stufflebeam,et al.  International handbook of educational evaluation , 2003 .

[15]  Suzanne Young,et al.  Profiles of Effective College and University Teachers , 1999 .

[16]  Gordon Tait,et al.  The rhetoric and reality of good teaching: A case study across three faculties at the Queensland University of Technology , 2001 .

[17]  H. Rindermann,et al.  Generalizability of Multidimensional Student Ratings of University Instruction Across Courses and Teachers , 2001 .

[18]  Oili-Helena Ylijoki,et al.  Research for Whom? Research Orientations in Three Academic Cultures , 2001 .

[19]  C. Barry.  Choosing Qualitative Data Analysis Software: Atlas/ti and Nudist Compared , 1998 .

[20]  Paul Delfabbro,et al.  Repertoires of teaching and learning: A comparison of university teachers and students using Q methodology , 2001 .

[21]  David Kember,et al.  Implications for evaluation from a study of students' perceptions of good and poor teaching , 2000 .

[22]  Roy Ballantyne,et al.  Beyond Student Evaluation of Teaching: Identifying and addressing academic staff development needs , 2000 .

[23]  A. Coffey,et al.  Qualitative Data Analysis: Technologies and Representations , 1996 .

[24]  Alenoush Saroyan,et al.  Evaluating University Teaching: Time to take stock , 2001 .

[25]  Herbert W. Marsh,et al.  The multidimensionality of students' evaluations of teaching effectiveness: The generality of factor structures across academic discipline, instructor level, and course level , 1991 .

[26]  Oili-Helena Ylijoki,et al.  Academic nostalgia: A narrative approach to academic work , 2005 .

[27]  U. Kelle.  Theory Building in Qualitative Research and Computer Programs for the Management of Textual Data , 1997 .

[28]  Tony Becher,et al.  Academic Tribes and Territories: Intellectual Enquiry and the Cultures of Disciplines , 2001 .

[29]  Rose M. Marra,et al.  College student epistemological perspectives across knowledge domains: A proposed grounded theory , 2004 .

[30]  A. Strauss,et al.  The Discovery of Grounded Theory , 1967 .