Students as Evaluators

Abstract

Rating of teachers by students is a commonly sought, important component of the evaluation of teaching. Whether student raters should be identified is controversial. Student evaluation of medical faculty is done with the knowledge that students may well need to return to these faculty for letters of recommendation for graduate program application. This subjects the rating process to a bias of recall that may result in leniency or inhibition. The special circumstance of medical student rating was studied by interviewing a sample (n = 50) of senior medical students. Nearly 40% of students felt that they would have been inhibited in responding to questions on quality of teaching and personal rating of their medical teachers. Fewer students would have been inhibited in commenting on the organization and operation of courses, but even in this area an element of inhibition would have been felt. The findings support continued protection of the identity of student raters.