Opinions of the Medical Faculty on Student Evaluations of Faculty Teaching

Abstract

Medical students in the second to fifth years evaluated all classroom lectures and laboratories in 1998. To clarify the faculty's opinions on student evaluations, in 2000 a questionnaire survey was given to 420 members of the teaching staff, of whom 137 (33%) responded. One hundred three (81.1%) instructors immediately checked the questionnaires after the classroom lecture or laboratory session, of whom 100 reported that the questionnaires were helpful for preparing subsequent lectures. One hundred nine faculty members replied that student evaluations of faculty teaching were meaningful, and 109 supported similar surveys in the future. Although conducting surveys of many students requires considerable time and cost, an effective feedback system plays an important role for both faculty and students.