A Study on the Temporal Changes in Course Evaluation of Good University Instruction

Objectives This study aims to explore the characteristics of courses and the changing perceptions of them over time as “good instruction.” Methods For this study, an open-ended survey was conducted to develop questions regarding the survey tools used in the analysis. The survey included 141 respondents who had taken classes at a university and participated in course evaluations. To achieve this purpose, content analysis was first attempted through an open survey. Accordingly, the survey tool for this study was prepared based on the results of content analysis, and ranking multiple response analysis and frequency analysis were conducted. Results The results of this study showed as follows: First, this study finds that the perception of instruction may change over time. Second, the important attributes listed by students whose perceptions have changed included “practical help” and “course content.” Specifically, courses that were initially perceived as containing good instruction but are no longer perceived as such were “less practical” and “less enlightening.” However, courses that were not initially perceived as containing good instruction were later found to be “enlightening” and “practical,” though they had “an inappropriate number of assignments.” Conclusions This study highlights that there are still limitations to students' understanding of the learning process when they are enrolled in courses. It also emphasizes the ongoing debate surrounding the validity and reliability of students' course evaluations. We propose that efforts are needed to help students experience truly good instruction.