Abstract:

The use of students in the evaluation of teaching and courses has gained currency in many universities the world over. The justification for using students in the evaluation of teaching is premised on the view that students as partners in the teaching/learning process deserve a strong voice in judging the quality of the instruction that they receive. Student evaluation of teaching is also one way of aligning teaching and learning with student learning needs and expectations. This paper reports on a pilot project on student evaluation of teaching that was conducted in one comprehensive university in South Africa in the 2014. The evaluations were conducted in two departments namely the Electrical and Civil Engineering departments. The evaluation of teaching was part of the improvement plan adopted by the school in response to the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) recommendation made during its accreditation visit to the university. The licket-type student evaluation of teaching questionnaire was loaded on the institution’s learning management system and students were asked to complete it electronically. This process was preceded by two days of training of the students so that they were able to complete the questionnaire as well as to appreciate the purpose of the evaluation process in the improvement of teaching and learning. The evaluation instrument focused on two main aspects namely instructor teaching characteristics as well as course offering. Data were captured and analysed using SPSS by the quality assurance officers attached to the Quality Assurance Division of the University. The study revealed that students were generally satisfied with both the teaching characteristics of their instructors as well as the course offering. However, students raised some concerns around assessment practices, lack of clarity on course objectives and non-availability of lecturers to students for consultations. Recommendations made by the study include the need for training lecturers in assessment as well as the need for induction of new academics in terms of the goals, mission and vision of the university.

Keywords:

Teaching, evaluation, assessment, students, learning.