Student Evaluations Added to "Transparency" Bill

As the Regular Session drew to a close, the Senate inserted the following sentence in a bill designed to promote "transparency" in higher education:

Institutions of higher education included in this section shall conduct end-of-course student evaluations of faculty and develop a plan to make evaluations available on the institution's website.

The language, part of amendments from the floor and approved subsequently by the House on Saturday, May 30, was added after hearings had been held, with no realistic opportunity for public comment. The bill is HB 2504, by Rep. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham). Its Senate sponsor is Sen. Florence Shapiro (R-Plano), who chairs the Senate Committee on Education. The bill will likely be sent to the governor very soon, absent any technical problems holding it up.

Schools now routinely conduct student evaluations of all instructors, of course. In a typical scenario, anonymous evaluations are collected (without faculty participation or potential influence) in each class, then shared with the instructor by supervisors after grades have been distributed. However, HB 2504 will mandate a new level of state uniformity. Its practical effect will likely hinge upon how the statute is interpreted via Coordinating Board rules over the next two years. The mandate to "develop a plan" presumably allows room for participation by educational practitioners in the process.

Experienced faculty members have learned that, while student evaluations can be extremely useful, the results can vary arbitrarily, depending upon a host of circumstances: time of day, the number of students who registered late for newly opened classes, the educational background of students in a particular section, attendance on a given day, and other factors unrelated to the quality of instruction. Faculty members also report that intellectual rigor, the complexity and difficulty of assignments, and whether essay exams are required can also influence student evaluations. Today, students who wish to pursue a path of least resistance can chat among themselves prior to registration, but HB 2505 could give them a more efficient tool.

These are among the many concerns that TCCTA plans to share with the Coordinating Board as the law is interpreted and implemented over the next two years.

During the final week of the Session, HB 2504 grew from 30 to 60 paragraphs, and from 566 to 1491 words. Here is the Senate Committee Report, after the final hearing was held. Here is the longer "Enrolled Version."

Also, college faculty preparing syllabi in future semesters may wish to get accustomed to another change under the bill. All pertinent information now given to students describing each course must soon be online and available to anyone with an Internet connection. Furthermore, the Curriculum Vitae of each faculty member (which includes such biographical information as degrees earned, teaching experience, publications, etc.) will also be posted online.

Most course information of this nature is already available in one form or another by request—even required by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Plus, Web publication of faculty syllabi is presently commonplace at many institutions, especially for distance education courses. But now it will be mandated for all undergraduate classes, and it must include information on each department's budget "if available." 

Concerns will likely proliferate at the campus administrative level, since the final version of HB 2504 contains many financial reporting provisions. College officials will be required to keep the data current for all classes, each semester. This will prove expensive, since it will necessitate added staff time and documentation. As usual, the Coordinating Board is given responsibility for compliance.

Comments

[Not Surprised!!]

It seems to me that the creation of a standardized assessment of instructor performance is inevitable. Most institutions already conduct end of course evaluations although these may be implemented at various times during the semester. Public education (K12) is increasingly standardized so this is not surprising although it is a valid subject for debate. My concern is with posting the results of the evaluations online. It appears that the legislature has decided faculty no longer have the right to privacy. Perhaps an alternative would be to report the evaluations in a way that would remove individual tags. For example, colleges could post division wide averages or class data without specific course codes.

[Dr. Don Peek]

Where was TCCTA when this HB 2504 was passed? The forced "standardization" of college courses with “Lesson plans" mandated will produce the same results that have seriously damaged the k-12 system.
How could TCCTA let this bill slide through?
What good is TCCTA if it does not fight against this type of ignorant actions by house and senate politicians?