PRINCIPAL RECOMMENDATION

The Kutztown University IDEA Task Force unanimously recommends that Kutztown University use the IDEA Diagnostic Instrument as its student ratings of instruction.

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RATIONALE

1. The IDEA Instrument will provide faculty with the tools to become better instructors.
2. The IDEA Instrument places a focus on learning.
3. The IDEA Instrument is flexible.
4. The IDEA Instrument helps correct for factors beyond the instructor’s control.
5. The IDEA Instrument allows for internal and external comparisons.
6. Confidentiality will be maintained.
7. The value of the current KU SRI is questionable.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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Administrative Procedures

SRI Coordinator: The process of administrating student evaluations should be coordinated by a central office.

Additional Questions: Any additional questions added at the university level (i.e. questions to be asked of every course section) would be approved by a local meet and discuss agreement and would be considered part of the official KU SRI. Instructors may add unique questions to the student evaluations administered in their course(s).

Confidentiality: Any data generated by the SRI shall only be used to meet the contractually-mandated evaluation process. Only the instructor being evaluated and his or her PET and departments chairs shall be given copies of the results from the individual class evaluations. 

Training and Course Improvement: The SRI Coordinator should work with the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching to provide faculty and key administrators training on the best practices for using the IDEA Instrument and interpreting the results. 

Course Syllabi Proposal

Department Selection of Course Learning Objectives: Departments will be required to review their courses and match the IDEA learning objectives with the course syllabus objectives. For each course the department must identify at least one IDEA objective as essential and up to an additional three objectives as either essential or important.

Faculty Member Selection of Additional Learning Objectives: Since a department may identify a maximum of four learning objectives, the instructor may mark at least one additional objective as being essential or important, but the total of essential and important IDEA objectives should not exceed five.

Teaching Standards with IDEA

Reporting: For official purposes of faculty evaluation all that is required to be submitted from the IDEA Report is the Summary Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness (the first page of the Class Report) and qualitative responses to any open-ended questions.  

Evaluating Teaching Effectiveness: The results from the student ratings should constitute only 30 to 50 percent of the overall evaluation of teaching, with a percentage closer to 30 percent being preferred.

Interpreting IDEA Scores: Adjusted converted averages compared to the entire IDEA database should be used in evaluating faculty teaching in most circumstances.

Number of Respondents and Response Rate: If a low number of respondents or a low response rate results in survey results being categorized as unreliable, marginally reliable, or inadequate, to assure representativeness the individual or committee conducting the performance review shall be instructed to be cautious in using the data in their evaluations.

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