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Making the grade with students: The case for accessibility

Publication ,  Journal Article
Gall, K; Knight, DW; Carlson, LE; Sullivan, JF
Published in: Journal of Engineering Education
January 1, 2003

Student-based teaching evaluations are one critical component of instructor and course evaluation in most universities. The purpose of this study is to critically examine several factors that drive student-based ratings of instructors and courses in an undergraduate mechanical engineering program. The findings are based on a statistical study of student ratings in 181 mechanical engineering courses during a three and one-half year period, two mid-semester classroom interviews, and anecdotal evidence garnered from personal experience. A key rating that appears strongly linked with the overall instructor and course rating is the "accessibility of the instructor." The instructor accessibility factor outweighs others often cited by conventional wisdom, such as perceived course workload or expected grade in the course. Rationale for the strong correlation between instructor rating and perceived instructor accessibility is discussed. Several suggestions for how to improve instructor accessibility and resulting student-based teaching evaluations are provided.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Journal of Engineering Education

DOI

ISSN

1069-4730

Publication Date

January 1, 2003

Volume

92

Issue

4

Start / End Page

337 / 343

Related Subject Headings

  • Education
  • 40 Engineering
  • 39 Education
  • 13 Education
  • 09 Engineering
 

Citation

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Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Gall, K., Knight, D. W., Carlson, L. E., & Sullivan, J. F. (2003). Making the grade with students: The case for accessibility. Journal of Engineering Education, 92(4), 337–343. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2003.tb00778.x
Gall, K., D. W. Knight, L. E. Carlson, and J. F. Sullivan. “Making the grade with students: The case for accessibility.” Journal of Engineering Education 92, no. 4 (January 1, 2003): 337–43. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2003.tb00778.x.
Gall K, Knight DW, Carlson LE, Sullivan JF. Making the grade with students: The case for accessibility. Journal of Engineering Education. 2003 Jan 1;92(4):337–43.
Gall, K., et al. “Making the grade with students: The case for accessibility.” Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 92, no. 4, Jan. 2003, pp. 337–43. Scopus, doi:10.1002/j.2168-9830.2003.tb00778.x.
Gall K, Knight DW, Carlson LE, Sullivan JF. Making the grade with students: The case for accessibility. Journal of Engineering Education. 2003 Jan 1;92(4):337–343.
Journal cover image

Published In

Journal of Engineering Education

DOI

ISSN

1069-4730

Publication Date

January 1, 2003

Volume

92

Issue

4

Start / End Page

337 / 343

Related Subject Headings

  • Education
  • 40 Engineering
  • 39 Education
  • 13 Education
  • 09 Engineering