Asking Questions - The Definitive Guide To Questionnaire Design ...

228 ASKING QUESTIONS
For appraisal systems to be effective, they need to distinguish
employee performance aspects from system aspects. For example, if
a person purchased a bicycle that continually has mechanical problems
due to poor design, they would probably evaluate customer
service at the bicycle shop as ineffective (because the bicycle is frequently
being repaired). However, such a low rating may better reflect
the poor quality of the bicycle than the quality of work at the
service center.
Despite flaws, the client appraisals are likely to continue to grow
in popularity across a wide range of organizations. Increasingly,
these appraisals are serving as an effective organizational development
tool that causes employees to recognize that they are ultimately
accountable to customers and not just their boss or manager.
Teacher and Instructor Ratings
When most institutions (or training and executive education
groups) decide to develop a teacher or instructor rating system, they
generally believe their needs and situation are unique and that
therefore they need to generate their own rating form. The key
importance in developing a rating instrument is to clearly understand
the purpose for which it is to be used. Such forms are usually
developed with little thought about how such information can be
used by a faculty member to improve the teaching-learning situation.
Perhaps even less thought is given to how such information
can be used by administrators to encourage and reward faculty improvement
efforts.
Student feedback forms have been constructed by many different
types of groups, such as student committees, faculty, administrators,
and even special task force committees. As with employee
evaluations, they are generally constructed without the benefit of
advice and consultation with experts in questionnaire design, and
this results in questionable and often problematic results. These
questionnaires generally end up reflecting the thinking and biases
of what one or two individuals regard as meaningful criteria of in-