Perspectives and discourses on teaching evaluations in a South African university

Abstract

The paper reports on a study that explored selected lecturers’ perspectives and discourses on a university’s Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) policy in South Africa; particularly what the policy prioritised in terms of purpose and evaluation processes. It also reports on the lecturers’ reflections on the additional questions they included in the self-designed evaluation tools. A questionnaire, informal group conversations, and extended observations were used to collect data, and Latour (2005). Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network Theory. Oxford University Press and Latour (2013). An Inquiry Into Modes of Existence. Translated by C. Porter. London: Harvard University Press works helped make sense of the lecturers’ perspectives and discourses. Findings indicate a partial grasp of what the SET policy promotes. Lecturers’ understanding seemed to emphasise teaching evaluations’ professional development and accountability functions. Little attention was paid to the context in which teaching and learning occurred. The conclusion suggests ways in which the guidance given to lecturers could be improved to help them understand and work more effectively with their university’s SET policy.