A Mixed Methods Pilot Study of an Instructor Feedback Training to Mitigate Biased Feedback Toward Minoritized Instructors

Abstract Experts have cautioned against the use of college student ratings of instruction (SRIs) in making high stakes decisions for faculty members, such as compensation and tenure, due to extraneous variables that bias student responses. This practice is especially pernicious for minoritized faculty members, with evidence to suggest student feedback to be more negatively biased and attacking in nature when given to Black women faculty members. To address this issue, we piloted a bias awareness intervention for graduate level students ( N = 57), seeking to improve feedback quality. An explanatory sequential experimental mixed-method design (Creswell, 2021) was used to compare differing levels of interventions across three groups. Findings demonstrated significant differences for those who experienced a more involved intervention and with distinctly unique qualitative feedback among the control group versus the group receiving an in-depth intervention. Outcomes suggest promising impacts of student training around feedback and bias.