Spring 2005
Danielle Ramsay
The purpose of Student Rated
Teacher Evaluations (SRTE) is
“to provide feedback on
teaching and learning so that the
instructors can make necessary
adjustments if the feedback
indicates a need for adjustment”
according to Francis
Achampong, Director of
Academic Affairs. However,
50% of faculty respondents to a
benefit at all from SRTEs.
SRTEs are a controversial
issue on campus among
students, faculty, and
administration. Discussions
frequently spring up at Faculty
Senate meetings regarding the
frequency of the use of SRTEs,
and recommendations that
SRTEs should be conducted by
all faculty members, even those
not on tenure track. University
administrators have proposed
that SRTEs be conducted online
rather than in the classroom. Such
discussions have stirred the
emotions of many faculty
members and prompted heated
debates.
When a faculty member is
being evaluated for a raise in
salary or a promotion, three
things are taken into
consideration: teaching, service,
and research. The amount of
research and service are solely
the - responsibility of the
instructor. However, faculty feel
that teaching effectiveness is
judged solely on two numbers
from the SRTEs: Overall quality
More Efficient SRTEs
The Council of Common-
wealth Student Government
(CCSG) is proposing a
supplemental survey to the
current Student Rated Teacher
Evaluations (SRTE) that will
benefit students. The survey,
named “Teacher Facts” by
Mont Alto Student Government
President Matt Hass, is to be
completed online and
mandatory for all students to fill
out.
The SRTEs that students fill
out at the end of each semester
are confidential and the results
cannot be viewed by students.
CCSG wants to create a survey
and make the results available
online for all Penn State
students. The survey will be
created by the students, therefore,
they will be more specific to the
class and the instructor. The
questions will address such
issues as the instructor’s teaching
style (auditory versus visual) to
allow students the opportunity to
choose instructors most
compatible with their learning
style.
Hass says, “All students
should know what they’re getting
into when they take a class.” His
concern is for the students and
their experience at Penn State.
If you have any recom-
mendations or concerns
regarding this project, email Matt
Hass at mch214@psu.edu.
of the course and overall quality
of the instructor. If these
numbers are not satisfactory, the
instructor’s salary increase may
be smaller. The administrators
hold that a range of factors and
checks are taken into account.
One instructor who has been
published in prestigious journals
and is involved in the campus
community was given a lower
salary increase than he felt he
deserved and believes that it is
because two students gave him
ones and twos on the SRTEs,
bringing down his overall
average.
How far will instructors go to
prevent this from happening?
Some instructors are lenient with
students. If students are
SRTE scores. Some instructors
feel pressure to give higher
grades to undeserving students
just to make sure their SRTE
average stays high. This results
in “grade inflation.” Many
students willl go on in their
careers believing that they are
as smart as their GPA reflects.
Another instructor claims that a
recent study conducted by the
University Senate shows only “a
slight correlation between
course GPAs and SRTEs.”
Several instructors admitted to
giving higher. grades than are
deserved, and one felt that many
instructors inflate grades but
don’t want to admit it — even to
themselves. However, several
claimed that they feel pressure
to pass students and will offer
ways to help boost grades.
Achampong says that peer
reviews are administered as a
means of corroborating SRTE
scores. There is a worksheet
outlining each step the reviewer
must take. First, the reviewer
meets with the instructor to
determine a date for the review.
They then discuss the lecture to
be given and the reviewer gives
advice on how to improve the
lecture. Finally, the reviewer
submits the review in written
format, which is nothing more
than a fill-in-the-blank form
given to all reviewers. Of the
respondents that have had peer
see SRTEs page 8
Andy Hess
SGA Treasurer
You arrive at your vehicle and
find a parking ticket lying under
your windshield wipers. Most
people think that it’s just another
way for Penn State to get your
money. I am one of the many
people who are quite disturbed
by having to pay a parking ticket.
Where does the money go ?
The university gets it, right?
Actually, no. The money goes to
the Student Government
Association, which then
allocates it to clubs and
organizations on campus. SGA
also uses the money to sponsor
events such as Fall Fest, .
To know that Penn State is not
profiting from the money is a
comforting thought. I’m much
more content knowing that the
money comes back to the
students. Most students that I
have talked to had no idea who
gets the money from parking
tickets. When I tell them that the
money ultimately comes back to
them, they react differently than
when they thought the university
was pocketing their money for
their own disposal.
This may or may not ease the
tension when paying a ticket, but
at least you know that you get
your money back through
programming on campus.