Interpretation Guide
This guide is intended to provide you information to help in interpreting your results. The guide is to be used with the one-page report, Student Ratings of Instructor's Communication Skills, you received in this packet.
The far left column of the report re-states the items used in the survey (Note: all items are shown in a positive direction, items with negative expression have been reversed to a positive expression for consistency of ratings). Based on our work with the GTA survey items, they have been grouped into three skill areas: Basic Communication Skills, Classroom Presentation Skills, and Overall Effect of Communication. This grouping should provide you valuable clues about your areas of strengths and weaknesses. The higher the number (from 1 to 5) the more positive the rating.
The five columns following the statements show the percent of your students who reported: 1) Definitely False; 2) More False than True; 3) In Between; 4) More True Than False; and 5) Definitely True. If a student did not respond to an item, they were not used in the calculations for that item.
The next column labeled "Average," is the average (mean) you received from students for each item.
To help you understand your ratings, we have provided interpretive statements in the "Comments" column. The comments "Superior," "Good," Fair" and "Needs Improvement," were derived from the results for all GTAs in the classroom for the first time during the Fall semesters in 1999 - 2001 (N = 324). The comments are intended to show how you did relative to other GTAs as follows:
SUPERIOR - In the top 15% compared to other GTAs.
GOOD - In the top 15 to 30% compared to other GTAs.
FAIR - Generally better than the bottom 30% of other GTAs but less than the top 30%.
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT - Generally in the bottom 30% compared to other GTAs.
SERIOUS CONCERN - If more than 50% of your students provided negative ratings ("Definitely False" [1] or "More False Than True" [2]), the "Needs Improvement" comment was changed to "Serious Concern."
NOTE: If you received comments of "Serious Concern" on three or more items, please read your cover letter carefully.