LECTURER SELF-ASSESSMENT: A QUALITY ASSESSMENT TOOL IN PRACTICE

There is international recognition of evaluation of academics by students as a means of assessing their (academics) performance. Student evaluation of academics is recommended by Ellis [1]; Veld, et al. [2]; Shelvin, et al. [3] and King [4]. Rajkaran & Mammen [5] propose that academics in Comprehensive Universities (CU) have themselves evaluated by students once in a 3-year cycle. Academics are required by institutional policy at one CU to have themselves evaluated every semester for semester courses and annually for year courses [6]. Against this background, this lecturer had himself evaluated by his students in 2010 and 2011 using an instrument developed by the Centre of Learning and Teaching Development at Walter Sisulu University (WSU). The questionnaires were administered towards the end of the semester for two modules. They were analysed manually and use was made of a hand-held calculator. The findings of the self-assessment indicate that the lecturer is on the right track but needed to make some adjustments to his module regularly. On course offering 8 out of 14 items (or 57.14%) were rated higher than 75% and only five items were rated less than 75% when the strongly agreed and the agreed were combined; on instructor rating 19 out of 24 (or 79.16%) received a rating of above 75%. Seven items received a rating of over 80% on course offering. Sixteen items received a rating of over 80% on the instruction. On overall course rating it was over 85%; and on overall instructor rating it was over 88%. Favourable comments from students included: "good instructor", "good motivator", "always punctual", "there is always work to be done and always kept busy in his class". This paper will outline the evaluation process used by the author and conclude with some suggestions for change to the instrument used.