Student Evaluation of Teaching: A Case Study from School of Medicine (UNZA)

Abstract

Purpose: This paper presents a case study of an academic department’s experience with evaluation. The purpose is to review the impact of student evaluation of teaching. The paper also introduces a new evaluation scoring method: the University of Zambia Staff Appraisal System (UNZASAS) method. Method: Anonymous 5-point Likert scale evaluation rating forms were administered to 134 third-year medical students in two consecutive years to measure students’ perceptions of teaching quality of four faculty members in an academic department at School of Medicine. The rating forms were scored using the UNZASAS method. Results: The response rate averaged 83%. The group average lecturer rating improved from 120 to 141.5. Individual performance of three lecturers improved while that of one declined. The UNZASAS method was effective in summarizing data to identify the areas of weakness and strength in the faculty members. The specificity and sensitivity of this method were fundamental to its success as a diagnostic tool for formative evaluation of teaching quality. Conclusions & Implications: The quality of teaching in the academic department improved after evaluation of teaching was introduced. The UNZASAS method proved to be an effective tool for scoring evaluation data and for providing faculty with useful and specific formative feedback. Health professionals training institutions can consider using the UNZASAS method for their evaluation of teaching contribution by educators.