Development and Validation of an Instructor Course Evaluation (ICE) System at the American University of Beirut

Abstract

This study describes the development of a paper and an on-line version of a new instructor course evaluation (ICE) system at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. The ICE was administered in spring and fall 2003 to students in all faculties. Both versions were compared with respect to response rates and reliabilities. In addition, the validity of the paper version was investigated using factor analysis and the effect of certain 'biasing' characteristics on student ratings was examined. The results revealed that both versions had similar high internal consistency reliabilities; however, the response rate on the on-line version was much lower. Factor analysis of responses revealed two factors measuring instructor and course effectiveness. Investigation of the effect of certain 'biasing' characteristics on student ratings was in agreement with those reported in the literature and confirmed the validity of the ICE. Because of low response rate, the on-line version was temporarily discontinued and recommendations for further research were presented.