Playing the SET game: how teachers view the impact of student evaluation on the experience of teaching and learning

Abstract

Student evaluation of teaching (SET) has become a ubiquitous feature of higher education. The attainment and maintenance of positive SET is essential for most teaching staff to obtain and maintain tenure. It is not uncommon for teachers to receive offensive and non-constructive commentary unrelated to teaching quality. Regular exposure to SET contributes to stress and adversely impacts mental health and well-being. We surveyed Australian teaching academics in 2021, and in this paper, we explore the perceived impacts of SET on the teaching and learning experience, academic standards and quality. Many respondents perceived that SET contributes to an erosion of standards and inflation of grades. A thematic analysis of open-ended questions revealed potential mechanisms for these impacts. These include enabling a culture of incivility, elevating stress and anxiety in teaching staff, and pressure to change approaches to teaching and assessment to achieve the highest scores. Playing the SET game involves balancing a commitment to quality and standards with concessions to ensure optimal student satisfaction. Anonymous SET is overvalued, erodes standards and contributes to incivility. The process of SET needs urgent reform.

Keywords:

• Student evaluation of teaching
• student feedback surveys
• teaching and learning
• academics

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Richard Lakeman is an Associate Professor at Southern Cross University and Coordinator of SCU Online Mental Health Programmes. He is a Mental Health Nurse, psychotherapist and fellow of the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing.

Rosanne Coutts is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health at Southern Cross University and teaches in the field of psychology.

Marie Hutchinson is a Professor in Nursing at the Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University.

Deb Massey is an Associate Professor at Southern Cross University and an intensive care nurse.

Dima Nasrawi is Lecturer in Nursing at Southern Cross University and a PhD student at Griffith University. She is a Cardiac Nurse and a member of the Australian Cardiac Rehabilitation Association.

Jann Fielden is a Casual Lecturer at Southern Cross University.

Megan Lee is a Senior Teaching Fellow in Psychology at Bond University and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Education at Southern Cross University. Megan is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Australasian Psychological Society (APS).