Search

Student ratings of instruction (SRI) are commonly used to evaluate courses and teaching in higher education. Much debate about their validity in evaluating teaching exists, which is due to concerns of bias by factors unrelated to teaching quality (Spooren et al., 2013). Our objective was to identify peer-reviewed original research published in English from January 1, 2012, to March 10, 2021, on potential sources of bias in SRIs. Our systematic review of 63 articles demonstrated strong support for the continued existence of gender bias, favoring male instructors and bias against faculty with minority ethnic and cultural backgrounds. These and other biases must be considered when implementing SRIs and reviewing results. Critical practices for reducing bias when using SRIs include implementing bias awareness training and avoiding use of SRIs as a singular measure of teaching quality when making decisions for teaching development or hiring and promotion.

In this convergent-parallel mixed-methods study, we explored the effect that teaching remotely during the first months of the pandemic had on teachers' TPACK and how teachers leveraged their new and existing knowledge to facilitate remote instruction. Survey results indicated that teachers' self-reported knowledge decreased across multiple TPACK subdomains, which is likely an indicator of teachers' recalibration of their knowledge as they experienced a new instructional context. Findings from semi-structured interviews indicated that although instruction narrowed at times when teachers struggled to enact their knowledge in less-than-ideal circumstances, teachers were often able to successfully facilitate remote instruction.

In response to the recent call from educational psychology for comprehensive models of academic achievement (Linnenbrink-Garcia and Patall, in: Corno, Anderman (eds) Handbook of educational psychology, Taylor and Francis, New York, 2015. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203874790), this study used multiple theories of motivation and instructional environment to predict academic success. Midwestern university students and instructors responded to a survey consisting of motivation, learning approach, responsibility for learning, and academic success measures. Hierarchical linear modeling found that student personal factors accounted for 42% of the variance in mean academic outcome, and instructional environment accounted for 0.03% of the variability in student academic outcome between instructors. HLM coefficients indicated that instructors' use of performance approach goal orientation suggested growth in student self-efficacy for SRL and increase in academic outcome. Practical applications of this research include instructors adopting mastery and performance approach goal orientation in the classroom, emphasizing the process and enjoyment of learning and de-emphasizing performance avoid goal orientation, which can increase student academic outcome.