INSTRUCTIONAL EVALUATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPROVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT: SELF-REPORTED PRACTICES OF A FACULTY WITHIN A MULTIVERSITY (FEEDBACK)

A case study methodology was used to examine: (1) the types of and extent to which information about instructional practices is sought by, provided to and/or acquired by faculty; and (2) if and how information about instruction is used by faculty for the purpose of improving and developing instructional practices.;Faculty reported relatively little effort directed toward instructional improvement or faculty development. Faculty generally have very little contact with colleagues regarding their teaching, courses, or their evaluation. Course structure, examinations, and teaching methods--in general--reportedly receive little purposeful review other than faculty-initiated student ratings of teaching. This study includes: (1) detailed discussions of these and other findings; (2) the implications of current practices on instructional quality within doctoral-granting institutions; and (3) suggestions for actions to improve current instructional evaluation practices.;Individual interviews were conducted with one-third of the faculty (n = 41) within a representative college at The Ohio State University. The faculty participants, randomly selected, were queried about their uses of instructional information,and about problems and issues associated with examining instruction for the purpose of improving and developing instruction-related activities within a multiversity.