The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 65, No. 1, Ed. 1 Friday, July 1, 1977 Page: 8 of 12
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Dorfman gets grant to study teaching evaluations
byMattMuller
Does anyone really care
about the teacher evaluation
forms you turn in at the end of
the semester, or are they simply
passed off as socially
acceptable means of channel-
ing a semester's worth of
aggression?
Peter Dorfman of the
Psychology department and
Ken Kennedy of Math Science
have been awarded a $2000
grant by the Committee on
Undergraduate Teaching to
examine "the Reliability and
Dimensionality of the Rice
Teaching Effectiveness
Questionaire" (RTEQ). As
might be expected on a $2000
budget, the scope of the work
will have be narrow. Dorfman
said that his work will be
limited to three concerns about
the questionaire: "We will
examine the reliability of the
form, search for underlying
patterns within its questions,
and try to discover any biasing
factors within the answers to
these questions."
Dorfman and Kennedy will
review last semester's
examination forms with
statistical methods. The
reliability of the RTEQ—
whether the same faculty
member would receive the same
score from the same group of
students on separate testing
occasions—will be analysed
with a measure of the internal
consistency of the forms.
Dorfman explained the
reliability measure: "My
bathroom scale varies
significantly when I weigh
myself five times in a row.
Obviously, the scale is not too
reliable; buteven if its readings
THE RICE THRESHER
IS STRICTLY A
STUDEXT YEWSPAPER.
(and I hiiis £oo<I nous lor pa mils!)
So your son or daughter is off to college.
Probably the first lengthy absence from home. Oh,
she'll be all right — you know that. But what about
y'all at home? The house is a little quieter now. And
you're worried. What is he doing at that school — is
he getting enough education out of the hard earned
money you're spending?
Relax. We'll let you know what's happening — every-
thing from what lectures are on campus to who won
the game to administrative decisions affecting her
education. Well even tell you what's for dinner!
One word of caution, though. We are a student news-
paper and we gear our journalism toward our own
generation — so there's apt to be an occasional word
or two that you might consider a little strong. But
then, remember when you went to college.
Enter your subscription for The Rice Thresher today.
Send your request along with $10 (we'll bill you if you
prefer) to: The Rice Thresher, Business Manager,
P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77001.
THE RICE THRESHER
Lft u kprp you in touch with thf Riff community
are identical for each trial, the
values need not indicate true
weight. The latter concern is
one of validity or accuracy."
He will employ factor
analysis in the second area of
research to determine if there
are patterns of answers within
the rating form. These patterns
should indicate the character-
istics which appear consistent-
ly in descriptions of effective
teaching, producing a clearer
picture of what Rice students
expectfrom their teachers.
The influence of possible
biasing factors on ratings of
teacher effectiveness will be
examined in the third area of
research. He will try to
determine if classsize,expected
grade in the course, and sex of
the teacher influence ratings in
the Rice TEQ.
Most of the research suggests
the question, what character-
isticsconstitutegood teaching?
Promotion and tenure
decisions must be based on
some understanding of what
good teaching is, but attempts
to reduce this understanding to
quantifiable terms have been
unsuccessful. It is apparent
that many promotional criteria
are based substantially, and in
some institiutions, primarily,
on the quality and quantity of
published research. Rice,
although it places emphasis on
teaching, must go along with
the publish or perish yardstick
if it expects to maintain and
increase its academic
reputation.
Crane to resign as architecture dean
David A. Crane, dean of Rice
University's school of
architecture since 1972, has
resigned his position effective
December 31, 1977, to devote
more time to his architectural
and urban planning practice
in Houston.
Crane, whose accomplish-
ments in the fields of urban
planning and architecture are
many, was the impetus behind
the formation of the Rice
Center for Community Design
and Research. Acknowledging
that his extensive civic,
teaching, and professional
activities were no longer
compatible with the admini-
strative duties of the deanship,
Crane stressed that his
resignation was in the best
interests of the further
development of the School of
Architecture and the Rice
Center.
President Hackerman has
announced the University has
formed a search committee to
look for a successor to Dean
Crane. It will be headed by
Vice-President and Provost
Dr. Frank Van diver. Members
of the committee include
faculty, students, alumni,
noted practitioners, and
members of the Rice Center
Board of Directors and the
Rice University admini-
stration.
Through the work of David
A. Crane and Partners, Crane
has played a part in many
studies and actual develop-
ment projects involving
technological and urban
development process innova-
tion.
Currently the Crane firms
lead a major international
consortium engaged by the
Egyptian Government to
plan a new city in the desert
for 500,000 people, as part of
the effort to preserve
agricultural land in the Nile
Delta.
Three named governors
Three distinguished alumni,
Dr. Karl C. ten Brink, John L.
Cox and Edward W. Kelley, Jr.
were named to serve four year
terms on the Rice Board of
Governors.
Ten Brink '37 was elected to
the board by a vote of alumni.
He is the general manager of
the research and technical
department of Texaco, Inc. in
Beacon, New York. In addition
to a B.S. in chemical
engineering, ten Brink
received a doctorate from Rice
in 1940 and served on the
university's faculty before
going into industry.
Cox, who graduated in 1945,
has been named a term
member of the board. A
Midland, Texas oilman,, he
has served on the National
Campaign Committee of the
university's $33 Million
Campaign in the sixties and
belongs to the Rice University
Associates, a support group
for the school.
Another new term member
is Kelley", president of the
Houston-based Kelley Indus-
tries. He graduated from Rice
in 1954 and has served on the
Economics and Accounting
Advisory Council, the dean
selection committee for the
newly formed Jones School of
Administration and as a
member of the Rice University
Associates.
All three governors have
served on the Rice University
Fund Council.
...until you see the newest line of
calculators available soon in the
Rice Campus Store.
The latest in electronic
computation, the new calculators
will feature slim-line pocket styling,
CMOS memory technology, and
up to 2,000 hour batteries. No
more big, bulky machines to cart
around, no more losing precious
data, no more constant
recharging!
You take a calculated risk if you
buy before you come to Rice. Find
out the best calculator for your
needs, then come to the Rice
Campus Store. It's waiting there
for you.
RICE CAITIPUS STORE
the riee thresher, July 1,1977—page 8
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Parker, Philip. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 65, No. 1, Ed. 1 Friday, July 1, 1977, newspaper, July 1, 1977; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245338/m1/8/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.