Policy on Evaluation of Teaching  

Approving Authority:	Council
Establishment Date:	25 October 2001
Date Last Amendment:	4 August 2003; 25 November 2005
Nature of Amendment:	Name of the service provider altered (08/03); Preamble updated, name of service provider updated; nomenclature updated; consultation with NTEU deleted from clause 2.3; minor wording changes to clauses 2.4, 2.7, 2.8 and 3.2 (11/05)
Date Last Reviewed:	April 2003
Publication Reference:
Contact Officer:	Academic Senate Secretary

Preamble The Policy on Evaluation of Teaching provides a framework within which appropriate processes for the evaluation of academic staff teaching by students and peers may be used to inform the following areas of activity: teaching and learning; student evaluation of teaching; quality assurance processes; professional development; promotion; confirmation of continuing appointment; conversion to continuing posts; and other relevant human resources policies and processes; peer evaluation and peer support. The Policy is intended to facilitate the use of evaluation of teaching as a developmental, formative tool that can be used to develop teaching practices and improvements in the teaching and learning environment, while also identifying minimum requirements and a consistent framework within which student evaluation and peer evaluation of teaching may be used for these and other purposes. The forms of evaluation identified in this Policy sit alongside others within the University's management and quality assurance framework, such as administrative reviews of topics and courses, and student surveys, which are provided for elsewhere in University policies and processes. The following document should be referred to alongside this Policy, as appropriate: Policy on Course and Topic Evaluation, Monitoring and Review (which addresses student evaluation of topics using the SET instrument).
1	Evaluation of Teaching 1.1 Evaluation of teaching is intended to perform a range of functions, including: enhancing understanding about teaching and learning through collecting in a systematic way the opinions of students or peers; enabling staff to reflect upon their teaching skills on the basis of students' perceptions of staff against key performance criteria; providing staff with information about their teaching performance derived from student and peer evaluations that will be useful for planning in respect of their own professional development; assisting AOUs to achieve and maintain high standards of teaching; and enabling the University to demonstrate effective quality assurance processes in relation to the teaching and learning environment. 1.2 The Policy on Evaluation of Teaching addresses evaluation of teaching of individual staff members. 1.3 Due care should be taken to ensure that the data derived from an evaluation process are used in an appropriate manner, and that actions are taken as appropriate to protect the anonymity of individual staff members or students who have participated in the evaluation process, in accordance with the specified purposes of the evaluation. 1.4 Staff are encouraged to make known to students any improvements that are to be implemented in the teaching and learning environment in response to feedback derived from student evaluations. 1.5 Staff are entitled to conduct additional evaluations above the minimum requirements specified by the University, and may conduct evaluations using a broader range of evaluation tools that may assist with the development of topics or teaching practices, subject to approval by the Supervisor/Head of AOU. In such cases, consideration must be given to the welfare of students, and the demands being placed on students and peers overall. 1.6 The University acknowledges that while class surveys provide valuable data about student perceptions of teaching effectiveness, care must be taken interpreting the results of such evaluations and that other available information about teaching and learning may moderate the conclusions drawn from particular class surveys.
2	Student Evaluation of Teaching 2.1 Student evaluation of teaching will be undertaken, for each academic staff member with teaching duties, at least every two years, and may be undertaken more frequently, as appropriate (eg to evaluate effectiveness of a newly introduced teaching approach, for staff who may be seeking promotion and/or confirmation of continuing appointment). 2.2 The Centre for Learning and Professional Development (CLPD) instrument for student evaluation will be administered within AOUs and undertaken by all academic staff with teaching duties in the AOU, subject to 2.3 below. The "Standard Questions on Teaching" will be included by staff members in each evaluation. Staff may select additional, optional questions where these may provide useful insights into student perceptions. 2.3 An alternative instrument may be used in instances where it would provide a more appropriate basis for evaluating teaching within a particular environment. The instrument, and the circumstances under which it may be used, will be subject to approval by the Academic Senate. 2.4 The CLPD will provide the results derived from an evaluation of teaching to the staff member and his or her supervisor. Guidelines to assist in the interpretation of results are available at http://planning.flinders.edu.au/set/results/. When interpreting the results of an evaluation, supervisors may take account of other available information about teaching and learning and moderate the conclusions drawn from a particular evaluation. 2.5 Where the supervisor considers that the results derived from an evaluation reveal that there may be a significant problem with a staff member's teaching, he or she shall discuss the matter with the relevant staff member, and (where the supervisor is not also the Head of AOU), the Head of AOU. 2.5.1 The supervisor and Head of AOU, in consultation with the staff member, shall, on the basis of the results, determine a course of action aimed at improving students' perceptions of teaching in a topic. Such action may include monitoring aspects of future evaluations, identifying a program of staff development, undertaking a review of the curriculum, clarifying teaching and learning objectives and expectations, or changing other practices within the AOU.   2.5.2 If the supervisor, Head of the AOU and the staff member disagree materially about the interpretation of results they will seek advice from a third party of their choice who is able to make informed comment on the meaning of the results.   2.5.3 Where a suitable third party cannot be identified to the satisfaction of the supervisor, Head of AOU and the staff member, the Executive Dean will be informed of the matter, and will nominate a person with relevant expertise to provide advice on interpreting the results. 2.6 Staff are entitled to request that their written comments be attached to any official copies of their individual survey results. 2.7 Information derived from individual evaluations of teaching may be used for purposes including: to assist staff members to develop and evaluate their teaching approaches and practices, by gaining feedback from students about their teaching practices, and the perceptions of students about aspects of the teaching and learning environment; as a basis for discussion between supervisors and staff in performance reviews conducted in accordance with the Academic Staff Performance Review Scheme, as specified in the provisions of the Scheme; by the staff member concerned, for professional development purposes, in processes relating to promotion, confirmation of continuing appointment and conversion to continuing posts, in accordance with provisions specified in the relevant human resources policies. 2.8 The results of individual evaluations will remain confidential and will be retained for not more than 3 years. Information derived from individual evaluations of teaching will be provided only to the staff member concerned and to his or her supervisor. In certain circumstances: a copy may be provided to the Head of AOU in confidence, either by the staff member concerned for staff development or career development purposes, or as required, in accordance with 2.5 above; a copy will be provided in confidence, on request, to the Executive Dean, where this is required for management purposes in relation to an individual staff member's employment.
3	Peer Evaluation of Teaching 3.1 A staff member may elect to be involved in a peer evaluation or review process to gain feedback about his or her teaching. Where peer evaluation is to be used for this purpose, agreement must be reached in advance between the staff member and the Head of AOU, about the nature of the peer evaluation or review process, the purposes for which it may be used, and the use of any information that may be derived from the evaluation process. In all such cases the process to be adopted will be documented, and the use of the instrument will be approved by the Executive Dean. 3.2 Peer evaluation of teaching may be conducted in processes relating to promotion, confirmation of continuing appointment and conversion to continuing posts, in accordance with provisions specified in the relevant human resources policies.
4	Other Forms of Evaluation 4.1 A staff member may, with the agreement of the Head of AOU, seek additional feedback from peers, students or other sources, and adopt such processes as he or she believes may: assist with the development of a topic; and/or enable a staff member to improve his or her teaching; and/or be useful for professional development purposes. The Head of AOU will, when considering such requests, have regard to the overall demands being placed on peers and students to participate in evaluations. 4.2 A staff member may obtain advice from the Staff Development and Training Unit to assist with applying or developing an evaluation process, or interpreting information derived from an evaluation process.