Beyond the Numbers: How Directors and Chairs Interpret Student Feedback to Equitably Evaluate Teaching

Abstract In response to literature examining how student biases can unfairly discriminate against instructors from disadvantaged groups or women, this study investigates how department officials at a large public university in the Northeast United States use student feedback as part of the holistic evaluation of teaching. Through surveys and a focus group, we examine the decision-making processes of department chairs and program directors, who often lack formal training in interpreting student feedback but possess practical experience in addressing student concerns and evaluating instructors. Our findings reveal that these administrators employ various strategies to mitigate biases in student feedback, such as disregarding outliers, considering response rates, seeking corroborative evidence, engaging in discussions with instructors, and making independent judgments based on multiple sources of evidence. This study contributes a crucial perspective to the debate on student feedback’s value by emphasizing the need for careful interpretation to ensure equitable and effective teaching evaluations, while identifying effective strategies employed by those who do this work.