Examining Gender Bias in Student Evaluations of University Courses

Core Concepts

There are linguistic differences in how students describe courses based on the gender of the course examiner, indicating potential gender bias in student evaluations.

Abstract

The study examines gender bias in course evaluations at Chalmers University of Technology. The researchers found that courses with female examiners received lower overall impression scores from students compared to courses with male examiners. To investigate this further, they trained machine learning models to predict the gender of the course examiner based on the text of the student evaluations.

The key findings are:

• The logistic regression and random forest models were able to predict the examiner's gender to some degree, indicating linguistic differences in how students describe courses based on the examiner's gender.
• For Swedish course evaluations, the important features for predicting a female examiner included words related to schoolwork, while for male examiners the words were more about the course structure and difficulty.
• For English course evaluations, the important features for predicting a female examiner included "softer" words like "open", "feels", and "writing", while for male examiners the words were more about being "harder", "clearer", and the "process".

These results suggest there are gender biases present in how students evaluate their university courses, which the researchers plan to explore further. Future work includes analyzing the random forest model's important features, classifying student gender, and using word embeddings to detect more nuanced language differences.

Stats

"The mean scores were 3.747 for female lead courses and 3.848 for male lead course, which result in a difference of 0.101 points lower for female examiners."
"The differences in mean scores considering the gender of the examiner were greater for courses held in Swedish compared to courses held in English."

Quotes

"Previous research suggest that there is gender bias against female teachers. A 2018 dutch study clearly shows the existence of gender bias against female teachers in university."
"When working with gender it's important to note that sex and gender are not the same thing, while they are related."

Key Insights Distilled From

Detecting Gender Bias in Course Evaluations

by Sarah Lindau... at arxiv.org 04-03-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.01857.pdf

Deeper Inquiries

How do these findings compare to gender bias in course evaluations at other universities or in different academic disciplines?

The findings in this study align with previous research indicating gender bias in course evaluations at universities. For instance, a Dutch study in 2018 revealed a systematic gender bias against female teachers, where female instructors consistently received lower scores compared to male instructors. This pattern of bias against female educators seems to transcend geographical boundaries and academic disciplines. The current study's results, showing lower overall impressions for courses with female examiners, echo the broader trend of gender bias in educational settings.

What are potential reasons or underlying factors that could contribute to the observed gender biases in student evaluations?

Several factors could contribute to the observed gender biases in student evaluations. One primary factor could be societal stereotypes and expectations regarding gender roles. Students may unconsciously hold biases that influence their perceptions of instructors based on gender. Additionally, language and communication styles associated with different genders could impact how students interpret and evaluate course content and teaching methods. Furthermore, implicit biases ingrained in the evaluation process itself, such as the wording of evaluation questions or the criteria used for assessment, may also play a role in perpetuating gender biases in student evaluations.

How could the university or instructors address and mitigate gender bias in course evaluations to ensure fair and equitable assessment of teaching performance?

To address and mitigate gender bias in course evaluations, universities and instructors can take several proactive steps. Firstly, institutions can review and revise evaluation processes to ensure they are free from gender biases. This may involve using standardized evaluation forms with neutral language and criteria. Training students on unconscious bias and the importance of fair and objective evaluations can also help mitigate gender biases. Instructors can actively engage with students to create an inclusive and respectful learning environment, fostering open communication and feedback. Moreover, promoting diversity among faculty members and providing support for female instructors can help challenge stereotypes and promote gender equality in educational settings. Ultimately, a collaborative effort involving both institutions and individuals is essential to ensure fair and equitable assessment of teaching performance.