Teaching appraisal in higher education: an Australian perspective

Byline: R. John Casey (1), Patricia Gentile (2), Stephen W. Bigger (1) Abstract: The current literature on the evaluation of teaching in highereducation institutions is reviewed critically and evaluated from anAustralian perspective. The issues of what constitutes 'goodteaching' and how effective teaching can lead to quality in teachingare discussed together with the reasons for introducing appraisal systems.The 'professional development' and 'duties-based'models of teaching appraisal are summarized and assessed along with thevarious sources of information which can be used as inputs to the appraisalprocess. The problems associated with appraisal systems are identified andrecommendations are made as to the design of appraisal systems which arevalid, reliable and have high user acceptability. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Chemical Sciences, Victoria University of Technology, P.O. Box 14428, MCMC, Melbourne, 8001, Australia (2) Student Learning Unit, Victoria University of Technology, P.O. Box 14428, MCMC, Melbourne, 8001, Australia Article History: Registration Date: 17/09/2004