Why do students recommend college professors to their peers?

Student feedback on teaching An essential tool for college instructorsboth teaching practices and their informing tenure Process and professional evaluations. Students specifically and publicly recommend courses and instructors can give clues about what elements of a course they liked or didn’t like.

Researchers from the Association of College and University Educators wanted to understand what motivates student recommendations and what factors they use to evaluate the quality of teaching. Research, released this fallfound that students prioritize evidence-based teaching practices and building relationships with their professors.

Students say: Students had generally positive perceptions of their instructors; 89 percent rated their instructors a four or five on a five-point scale.

Researchers identified four major themes in students’ feedback about their professors: instructional clarity, student support, perceived characteristics of the instructor, and active learning.

Paloma Benavides, an associate researcher at ACUE, said during a Nov. 14 webinar that students may not have called active learning a pedagogical technique. However, students will talk about engaging classroom experiences, real-world applications of the content, and interactive learning processes.

Demographic analyzes revealed trends in what factors were important to students. For example, Latino students were more likely to prioritize student support, such as perceptions of care, extra credit opportunities, and learning resources and guidance, compared to their peers.

Older students (25 years and older) were more likely to consider their instructor’s teaching style and professionalism compared to their younger peers. In addition, upper-track students tended to value clear course expectations, instructions, and perceptions of care more than their lower-track peers, who prioritized their instructors’ involvement or perception of politeness.

Similarly, students who completed courses online emphasized clear expectations and feedback, as well as learning resources and guidance, compared to in-person learners.

Students who rated their professors higher were more likely to say that student support and perceived instructor characteristics were important to them. Conversely, students who rated their professors below a four were more likely to have negative perceptions of inadequate course structure and clarity, lack of support or engagement, or an overall unsatisfactory learning experience.

A common myth about student feedback is that students look for easy courses to get good grades, but the survey revealed otherwise. Students who received high grades were more likely to evaluate the course negatively if they felt they did not learn.

previous research showed student bias in how they evaluated their instructors based on demographic factors, but this was largely missing from the survey data. Instructors’ race, ethnicity, or gender did not significantly influence students’ perceptions, but their tenure status, discipline, and years of experience were influential factors influencing students’ feedback, especially regarding clarity of instruction and student support.

Best practices: In a Nov. 14 webinar hosted by ACUE, faculty members identified strategies they use to improve learning and relationships with students.

• Inspiring ownership. Often faculty members may be excited to teach a course because they love the content, but not all students have the same passion. Helping students find purpose in their learning goals and giving them ownership of how they achieve mastery can inspire investment and make course material more relevant and engaging.
• Getting in-class feedback. Professors should listen to students while in the classroom and take time to check in with how they are doing and what might help them in their learning. “When we teach and don’t take the time to chat with students to find out what they need, it’s ‘chalk and talk,’” said Alicia Abney, an assistant professor and academic advisor at the University of Kentucky.
• Holding students to high standards. “I think a lot of times, especially as a potentially new faculty member, we think our students want things to be easy,” said Jillian Wilson, an assistant professor at Regis College in Massachusetts. “But what I found is actually the opposite. “The more you challenge your students, the higher standards you hold them to, the more they achieve and the better grades they give you.”
• Ask students to identify strategies. Wilson is creating a midterm feedback form that asks students what they can do to improve their learning. The process helps Wilson become a more effective instructor and helps students feel heard and respected.

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