Return to academic standards: a critique of student evaluations of teaching effectiveness

A student evaluation of teaching effectiveness (SETE) is often the most influential information in promotion and tenure decision at colleges and universities focused on teaching. Unfortunately, this instrument often fails to capture the lecturer’s ability to foster the creation of learning and to serve as a tool for improving instruction. In fact, it often serves as a disincentive to introducing rigour. This paper performs a qualitative (e.g. case studies) and quantitative (e.g. empirical research) literature review of student evaluations as a measure of teaching effectiveness. Problems are highlighted and suggestions offered to improve SETEs and to refocus teaching effectiveness on outcome‐based academic standards.