In a case where the teacher has received conflicting or generic feedback on his or her performance, a student rating tool can be a great way to determine specific qualitative and quantitative ratings that can be used to identify student’s perceived reactions to the teacher’s performance. In this brief discussion, I will identify an example where student rating can be of particular importance. Take for example a first year teacher in their second semester. The first semester the faculty review board was split on whether or not to offer a raise to the teacher because of the mixed feelings about the teacher’s capabilities.

They decide to hold off on the decision because their information was too limited. At the end of the second semester they decide to do a student review in order to gain specific feedback on the teacher’s performance. The anonymous student rating tool to be used would ask students to review the teacher’s demeanor, rapport, knowledge, grading style, effectiveness, etc… The anonymity is intended to assuage student’s fears that their responses will influence their overall grade (Faculty).

The student rating tool would include both quantitative and qualitative sections and would also have two open-ended questions for the student’s to give the teacher’s best qualities and the areas on which the teacher needs to improve (Davis). In this case, the student rating tool would be the determining factor in whether to offer a raise due to the ambiguity of the traditional rating system. The results would be taken into consideration and the teacher would also then be able to respond to the ratings in an effort to clarify any issues that might arise.