Abstract

Student Evaluations of Instruction (SEI) are an important issue in countries like the USA, where the evaluation results can impact professional promotion chances and salary of faculty. According to Seldin [11], the percentage of American colleges using SEI grew from 29% in 1973 to 68% in 1983 and to 86% in 1993. Consequently, the adequacy of SEI has been examined extensively, and many statistical studies have been published. Non-instructional factors, which cannot be influenced by instructors, may bias the evaluation rating and should be identified and eliminated for a fair comparison. But in many cases, a mere linear regression of SEI on such potential factors is not adequate.