Summary: With respect to student evaluations of their instructors, the overwhelming consensus from most published research is that gender bias is real and does exist. In one gender bias study, Mitchell and Martin argue that “women are evaluated differently from men in two key ways. First, women are evaluated based on different criteria than men, including personality, appearance, and perceptions of intelligence and competency.” They also suggested on the basis of their evidence that “women are more likely to be labeled a ‘teacher’ than a ‘professor.’” Furthermore, their research found that women are rated more poorly than men even in identical courses and when all personality, appearance, and other factors are held constant. ¹

In a recent review, we identified a series of ‘University Core Questions’ that are quite common across many of the institutions that are using surveys for course evaluation and while it might not be proven to exist, there is an opportunity for improvement in many of the surveys to minimize the opportunity for gender bias.

The initial evaluation request: 

Many evaluation formats use the last name and first name for the instructor. It is recommended that this change to reflect the position and credentials of the instructor with the first name reduced to an initial. For example, ‘Instructor: Doe, Jane’ be replaced with ‘Instructor: Prof. J. Doe’ or ‘Instructor: Dr. J. Doe’. This change will reinforce the credentials of the instructor, particularly the females who are often subject to an inherent bias/perception that their status is lower than their male counterparts. Further, it will not suggest gender in some subliminal fashion as the evaluation process commences.

Review of Sample University Core Questions:

Q1: My instructor explains the course objectives clearly.

Q2: My instructor explains course content clearly.

These questions may be considered ‘first impression’ questions. Given the opinions that are formed in the minds of students with respect to personality and appearance, female instructors are more likely than men to be unfairly impacted by this question. However, the gender distribution of students can also impact the results one way or another. For example, a female instructor teaching a class with predominantly male students might receive a different assessment than if she was teaching the same class to predominantly female students. On a positive note, these questions are written in such a manner that a student’s response can be somewhat definitive

Q3: My instructor effectively engages me in the learning process.

Q4: My instructor treats me with respect.

Q5: My instructor provides opportunities for students to engage in the learning process.

These questions open up the possibility for increased gender bias, particularly given that the terms ‘engagement’ and ‘respect’ will mean something different to each student. For example, students might link an instructors use of humor as engagement and multiple studies have shown that there is an inherent bias with respect to gender and the forms of humor used. In one study, self-disparaging humor was shown to induce higher ratings when the instructor and the students were of the same sex. In contrast, when the instructor and students were of an opposite sex, humor of a sexual nature led to higher ratings. ²

A misalignment of expectation is one of the leading drivers of low customer satisfaction scores. It follows then that any misalignment with respect to the expectations that students have of their instructors can lead to negative feedback. With respect to gender roles, students may expect, and set a high bar for, female instructors to be interpersonal and warm and punish them if they don’t reach it. Conversely, male instructors are rewarded for exceeding expectation just for demonstrating the tendency. In summary, instructors who violate perceived gender norms may receive lower ratings due to these gendered expectations and typically it is the female who is punished. ³

Q6: My instructor provides timely feedback.

Q7: My Instructor is available for consultation.

The responses to these questions are not only influenced by the gender of the instructor but by the gender of the students. It has been shown that female students typically rate these attributes higher than their male counterparts. In one study it was shown that male instructors received scores that were 16% higher than their female counterparts when assessed on ‘timely feedback’. 3

Care should be taken to understand the gender makeup of the students in the class and the gender of the instructor to determine if any bias is influencing the results. ⁴

Q8: Please provide any additional written comments on the instructor’s strengths and weaknesses.

Free form commentary boxes are a useful method to provide the student with the opportunity to submit feedback that might not otherwise be addressed with a question. However, they also open up the opportunity for any inherent bias within the student to be included that might otherwise be excluded through a series of carefully crafted questions that seek to minimize the impact. For example, given the opportunity, this question could create the opportunity for a student to accuse a female instructor teaching the role of women in certain historical events as being feminist or having some alternative point of view.

Q9: This course has clear objectives.

Q10: This course is effective in meeting its objectives.

Q11: This course has assignments related to the objectives of the course.

Q12: This course has assignments related to the objectives of the course.

Q13: This course has a clear grading system.

Q14: This course broadens my perspective and/or knowledge.

Q15: Please provide any additional comments on the strengths and weaknesses of the course.

Although these questions refer directly to the course, it might be hard for some students to bifurcate the course and the instructor. For example, while the course might have a clear grading system e.g. pass vs fail, it’s ultimately the instructor that arrives at the grade. Care should also be taken with respect to asking students whether any objective has been met as often times they don’t know enough to accurately determine that answer.

REFERENCES

Mitchell, Kristina M.W and Martin, Jonathan. 2018. “Gender Bias in Student Evaluations.” American Political Science Association, July 2018: Page 1 Abstract. [1]

Tamborini, Ron and Zillman, Dolf. 1981. “College Students’ perception of Lecturers Using Humor”. [2]

MacNell, Lilian, Driscoll, Adam, and Hunt, Andrea. 2015. “What’s in a Name: Exposing Gender Bias in Student Ratings of Teaching.” [3]

Korte, Leon, Lavin, Angela, and Davies, Thomas. 2013. “Does Gender Impact Business Students’Perceptions of Teaching Effectiveness.” [4]