CRITICAL TO QUALITY ASPECTS OF UNIVERSITY TEACHING FROM THE STUDENTS' POINT OF VIEW - EXPERIENCE OF A UNIVERSITY PEER REVIEW OF TEACHING PROGRAM

The main purpose of this paper is the discussion of experience arisen from a two-year-long peer review of teaching program conducted at a Hungarian university. In this paper, the methodology of the program is introduced and overall quantitative results are discussed. After the pilot semester, the program included 30 reviewed courses, 36 lecturers and also involved altogether more than 80 lecturers taking part as peer reviewers. The evaluated courses involved in the peer review program were parts of business, engineering management, and communication and media science bachelor programs with the highest numbers of intaken students. The evaluation methodology of the program was based on questionnaires covering several important aspects of the semester-long teaching process. Since not only classroom performance was evaluated, but the review of course outlines, applied teaching materials, course requirements, consultations, processes and methods of student evaluations were also included. The primary goal of the program was to motivate lecturers to improve their teaching practice and to enhance the culture of quality related to teaching processes. Results of the peer review of teaching program are also compared to the results originating from the university's regular end-of-semester course evaluation system. On the basis of this comparison, key factors of teaching quality are identified. Analyses show that tests and exams have a prominent role from the students' point of view. Evaluation results related to tests and exams have the strongest relationship with students' overall evaluations in connection with the whole teaching process. On the other hand, peer reviewers' evaluation results do not correspond students' judgement in this aspect.