Abstract:

The major aim of this research is to identify the requests and to propose the measures for the improvement of the instrument that has been used at the International University of Sarajevo for the purpose of student evaluations of teaching process based on the analysis of the attitudes of academic staff and students. The survey was conducted for the purpose of exploratory analysis, and in order to get the first insights to the attitudes of professors and students of the International University of Sarajevo on the currently used instrument, as well as to establish the foundations for future, more extensive research. Student evaluations of teaching are important factor for the achievement of internal quality of institution of higher education, therefore these instruments and questionnaires must be valid and reliable. Present research is trying to enlighten current procedures, misuses and mistakes that were made during the implementation of student evaluations, as well as to emphasize the role and contribution of psychologists in this process.

The study included 30 professors (assistant, assistant professor, associate professor, full professor) and 30 students of the International University of Sarajevo. In order to eliminate the effects of cultural factors, all respondents were citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who speak Bosnian / Croatian / Serbian language.

The special scale was designed in order to measure the attitudes of academic staff and students towards the existing methods and procedures of student evaluations of teaching carried out at the International University of Sarajevo. Likert - type scale consists of 14 items that determine the attitudes and perceptions of student evaluations, attitudes towards the consequences of student evaluations, and attitudes of the authorities towards the main process of evaluation . The participants (professors and students) assessed the level of agreement with each of the 14 statements by choosing one of the four offered answers, whereas 1 means "totally disagree" and 4 means "strongly agree". In order to analyze attitudes towards student evaluations the frequencies of responses "I agree" and "I strongly agree " were compared on a small sample of professors and assistants of the International University of Sarajevo ( N = 30 ) and students of three faculties of the same University ( N = 30 ).

Professors and students largely agreed on the variables that affect the validity and reliability of students' evaluation, but professors and assistants argued that students give better grades to those professors who teach less demanding courses.

Based on the result on "the consequences of student evaluations" sub-scale it is to conclude that none of the two groups of participants shared the opinion that the results of the evaluation may contribute to some changes in the teaching curricula or that can significantly affect the promotion and advancement of professors. More than 50 % of participants from both groups agreed that most students do not take evaluations seriously and therefore do not provide reliable answers, while 53.33 % of professors and assistants agreed that the currently used instrument for student evaluations of professors at the International University of Sarajevo is not a reliable instrument. The results were discussed in terms of their contribution to the internal quality of the University and possibilities for the construction of new, reliable and valid instrument.

Keywords:

Student evaluations of teaching, internal quality, reliability, institution of higher education, psychologist.