Bias in Student Evaluations

The following recorded presentation is a capture of a presentation by Dr. Betsy Barre, who is the Director for the Center for the Advancement of Teaching at Wake Forest University. In November 2021, she gave an engaging talk at the annual meeting of the Association for Political Theory that moved beyond issues of bias to talk about the limitations and promises inherent in student feedback forms writ broadly.

The YouTube playlist has three separate parts: 1) an introduction to the workshop; 2) the research surrounding student feedback forms; and 3) recommendations and strategies for how such data should be used in hiring, retention, and promotion evaluations. The playlist can be accessed here: Responding to Bias

The articles that Dr. Barre suggests in her Research video are linked below.

Evaluating Student Evaluations of Teaching: a Review of Measurement and Equity Bias in SETs and Recommendations for Ethical Reform

Interpreting and using student ratings data: Guidance for faculty serving as administrators and on evaluation committees

Read more about the misconceptions regarding student feedback on instruction.

The Women's and Gender Resource Center has links to papers that address implicit and unconscious bias.