1. Do Easier Classes Make for Happier Students? Amanda J. Watson, PhD Murray State University Background Grade inflation has been of concern in higher education since the 1970s (Joula, 1976), and with this comes the concern that instructors will feel pressure to inflate grades in order to improve student evaluations of teaching. Eiszler (2002) found support for this fear and reports that the percentage of students expecting an A or A- grade in a course increased by 10% during the 1990s, during which time teaching evaluations also increased by.1 points. Purpose of the Investigation Participants and Methods Anonymous, end-of-semester, teaching evaluations were collected of 156 students in 6 sections of 3 unique courses in the Psychology department of a large Southeastern University between 2011 and 2014. Students were asked to report on various aspects of their learning experience, including their instructor’s effectiveness, the level of mutual respect in the classroom, and their expected grade in the course, among other variables. Questions (1)The instructor was well-prepared (2)The instructor presented the subject matter clearly (3)The instructor provided feedback intended to improve my course performance (4)The instructor fostered an atmosphere of mutual respect (5)I have a deeper understanding of the subject material as a result of this course (6)My interest in the subject matter was stimulated by this course (7)Overall, the instructor’s teaching was effective (11) How would you rate the physical environment in which you took this class based upon your ability to see, hear, concentrate, and participate? (13) I improved my ability to think independently about the course material. (14) I learned to identify problems and explore different solutions. (15) The instructor used a scholarly approach in presenting content (referencing theory, research, and debates in the field). (16) The instructor treated students with respect. (17) The instructor was effective in administering the class and organizing materials. (18) The grade I expect in this course is. (19) Number of in class activities (20) Number of homework assignments (21) Number of tests Results Student evaluation of teaching effectiveness positively related to their evaluation of all individual aspects of the instructor’s effectiveness (e.g., “The instructor was well- prepared”; “The instructor presented subject matter clearly”; all r’s>.433; all p’s <.001). However student evaluations of instructor effectiveness showed no association with their expected grade in the course (r =.133, p =.101) nor with the number of writing assignments or exams given by the instructor (all r’s.088). The purpose of this investigation was to determine if the association between high grades and high teaching evaluations still exists. Presented at the Conference for Higher Education Pedagogy, Blacksburg VA, Feb 4-6 2015 NMinimumMaximumMeanStd. Deviation @1154365.77.546 @2154265.74.645 @3154265.66.727 @4154465.84.398 @5154365.62.733 @6154165.401.099 @7154265.62.724 @11155465.58.545 @13155265.34.825 @14153265.29.856 @15154265.58.703 @16154465.86.397 @17153265.74.615 @18155243.54.550 @191561217.978.114 @20156222.00.000 @21156343.73.445 Valid N (listwise)144 Descriptive Statistics Correlations Source: gradeinflation.com References Discussion Results imply that instructors need not feel pressure to reduce course demands in order to improve student evaluations! Rather, the increase in teaching evaluations seen in the 1990s may be unrelated to the grade inflation seen during this same time. Results suggest that instructors may continue to maintain rigorous classroom standards that create challenging and exciting academic environments. More research is necessary to determine if there are some environments more likely than others to discourage the historical association between high grades and high teaching evaluations. For example, perhaps students are more “forgiving” of rigorous academic environments when instructors demonstrate high support for students and create an environment of mutual respect. Eiszler, C.F. (2002). College students' evaluations of teaching and grade inflation. Research in Higher Education, 43, 483-501. Juola, A. E. (April 1976). Grade Inflation in Higher Education: What Can or Should We Do? National Council on Measurement in Education Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No 129 917)