Other Resources
Tinto Presentation and Articles
Professor Vince Tinto received his Ph.D. in education and Sociology from the University of Chicago. He is currently Distinguished University Professor at Syracuse University and chair of the higher education program. He has carried out research and written extensively on higher education, focusing particularly on the social dimensions of learning and how universities can build communities based on clear expectations, accessible support structures and academic challenge. He presented at Seattle University during Academic Convocation on September 15, 2005.
Research Report: Race and Gender Bias in Student Evaluations of Teaching (click title to read)
Compiled by Therese Huston, PhD (October 24, 2005)
This report was prompted by a faculty member's request to summarize the research on the impact of race and gender in the evaluation of university teaching. Unfortunately, there is relatively little in the way of empirical, quantitative research on the intersection of race and gender as they pertain to course evaluations. Numerous studies have examined the possibility of a gender bias in student evaluations of teaching, but the possibility of a race bias is a relatively new area of inquiry, as evidenced by the fact that several of the relevant articles are published in 2005. The silver lining, of course, is that the findings are recent and are likely to reflect current institutional trends.
This document summarizes the key empirical findings. The report is intended for information purposes only, and is not intended to provide guidance toward a particular observation, conclusion, or policy decision. Further information about most of the studies listed here can be obtained through CETL .
Eye of the Storm: Students’ Perceptions of Helpful Faculty Actions Following a Collective Tragedy (PDF) Therese Huston, PhD and Michele DiPietro, PhD
In To Improve the Academy, 2007
Michele DiPietro and Therese Huston published an article in To Improve the Academy (2007) that reported on a study examining:
- what instructors did or said in class following the attacks of September 11, 2001, (according to their students); and
- those actions or comments students found helpful following the attacks.