Teacher Performance Evaluation: The University of Arizona

Teacher Performance Evaluation: The University of Arizona Teacher-Course Evaluation (TCE)

The University of Arizona's Teacher-Course Evaluation, or TCE, is a tool that aims to evaluate not only teacher performance, but also the course being offered by the University in general. The tool seeks insights from students about specific course features that must be improved and if necessary, modified to further enhance the curriculum. At the same time, the teacher performance evaluation is another way through which the University can best assess whether the course itself needs improvement, or perhaps the manner of delivery needs to be improved instead (Johnson, 2002:9). The TCE assumes a dual role as a tool for analysis and decision-making of the University administration: it determines and prescribes for the University the appropriate action needed to improve both the curriculum and teaching quality of its instructors/professors.

The methodology of the conduct of evaluation itself provides insightful learning that can help improve the way evaluations are conducted, objectively and with confidentiality. The TCE is administered to students in either paper or online format. The format prescribed varies across colleges, but in most colleges, students have the option to choose any one of the two formats. After determining the number of students who will take the paper and online formats, the University prepares questionnaires for students who have chosen to evaluate using the paper format. However, after the distribution of the TCE forms, the University assigns a student monitor who is in charge of ensuring all TCE forms are filled out completely and returned for analysis and reporting. Throughout the whole process of evaluation, the University administration is not involved, except for the student monitor and the student-evaluators.

Another salient and important feature of the tool is that it allows for questions that ask about the course and teaching quality per se, but also take into account specific questions depending on the nature of the course. That is, if the course has more than one instructor in its list (i.e., a primary and assistant/secondary instructor), then students must also answer the Team Teaching section of the tool. Similarly, for specialized courses such as arts, social sciences, and natural sciences, professors are encouraged to provide questions that would help them determine areas for improvement for their specific courses/departments. In fact, the instructors' inputs in the questionnaire / tool are invaluable in that they are more specific and relevant for the student evaluators to answer/respond to. This allowance for department- or course-specific questions and inclusion of specific arrangements such as Team Teaching are critical aspects of teacher performance evaluation that is accounted for in the University's TCE.