The role of student evaluations in a PBL centred law curriculum: towards a more holistic assessment of teaching quality

Abstract

Students’ evaluations are used to measure teaching effectiveness of staff. As such they are used to assess and appraise staff. The article–taking a doctrinal rather than an educational science approach–shows that there are considerable problems with the hypothesis that students’ evaluations measure teaching effectiveness. This is even more so in systems where an overarching teaching philosophy like problem-based learning (PBL) is applied. The article identifies a working hypothesis that students do not use the teaching philosophy as primary motivator to evaluate staff, leading to a perverted incentive. Changes made to the system of evaluation in the law faculty of Maastricht University are described.