Allegations, Abuse and Discrimination : Using Student Evaluation of Teaching Surveys to Support Student and Educator Wellbeing

Student Evaluation of Teaching surveys (SETs) are used at universities to inform teaching practice and subject design. However, there is increasing concern about the impact of allegations, abuse, and discrimination in survey open text components. Here we discuss the implementation of an automated sc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inStudent success Vol. 14; no. 3; pp. 92 - 103
Main Authors Cunningham, Samuel, Cathcart, Abby, Graham, Tina
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Brisbane QUT Library 11.12.2023
University of Southern Queensland
Subjects
Criticism
Curriculum design
Effective teaching
Evaluation
Evaluation methods
Higher education
Learning environment
Machine learning
Mental health
risk of harm
Student evaluation of teacher performance
Student evaluation of teachers
student evaluation of teaching
Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET)
Student teacher relationship
Student university relationship
Students
Teacher evaluation
Teacher stereotypes
Teacher-student relationships
Teaching methods
Teaching practice
Technique
Web-based instruction
Well being
wellbeing
Australia
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Summary:Student Evaluation of Teaching surveys (SETs) are used at universities to inform teaching practice and subject design. However, there is increasing concern about the impact of allegations, abuse, and discrimination in survey open text components. Here we discuss the implementation of an automated screening mechanism using a combination of dictionary and machine learning approaches. We present both a process diagram detailing how the screening is performed, as well as a form of categorisation for comments that are unacceptable or indicate a potential risk of harm. Examples of real comments in each of these categories are presented to demonstrate the depth of the challenge and potential cause for concern. Ultimately, we argue that student and educator wellbeing are inextricably connected and exposing staff to abusive and discriminatory comments causes harm. Furthermore, SETs are an important channel for students to raise concerns about their own wellbeing and potentially unsafe experiences in the learning environment. [Author abstract]
Bibliography:Refereed article. Includes bibliographical references.
Informit, Melbourne (Vic)
Student Success, Vol. 14, No. 3, Nov 2023, 92-103
ISSN:2205-0795
2205-0795
DOI:10.5204/ssj.2756