TY  - JOUR
AU  - Weinberg,Bruce A.
AU  - Fleisher,Belton M.
AU  - Hashimoto,Masanori
TI  - Evaluating Methods for Evaluating Instruction: The Case of Higher Education
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 12844
PY  - 2007
Y2  - January 2007
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w12844
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w12844.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Bruce A. Weinberg
Department of Economics
Ohio State University
410 Arps Hall
1945 North High Street
Columbus, OH  43210
Tel: 614/292-5642
Fax: 614/292-3906
E-Mail: weinberg.27@osu.edu

Belton M. Fleisher
The Ohio State University
413 Arps Hall, 1945 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43210
E-Mail: fleisher.1@osu.edu

Masanori Hashimoto
The Ohio State University
410B Arps Hall
1945 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43210
E-Mail: hashimoto.1@osu.edu
AB  - This paper develops an original measure of learning in higher education, based on grades in subsequent courses. Using this measure of learning, this paper shows that student evaluations are positively related to current grades but unrelated to learning once current grades are controlled. It offers evidence that the weak relationship between learning and student evaluations arises, in part, because students are unaware of how much they have learned in a course. The paper concludes with a discussion of easily-implemented, optimal methods for evaluating teaching.
ER  -