Impacts of student evaluations of teaching on Australian university academics

Shaylen E. Stone; Gerard Jefferies; Megan Lee; Cindy Davis

doi:10.1080/02602938.2026.2696400

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Impacts of student evaluations of teaching on Australian university academics

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Impacts of student evaluations of teaching on Australian university academics

Shaylen E. Stone, Gerard Jefferies, Megan Lee and Cindy Davis

Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol.Advanced access

04-Jul-2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2026.2696400

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Abstract

academics

well-being

student evaluations

higher education

Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) are formal tools used by universities to assess students’ perceptions of learning and teaching effectiveness. This study examined how quantitative and qualitative SET responses impact Australian academics’ wellbeing and predict depression, anxiety, and stress. The sample included 574 participants from 41 universities across Australia. Participants completed an anonymous online survey measuring demographics, the perceived impacts of quantitative and qualitative SET responses on wellbeing using a Health and Wellbeing Scale (HWS), and mental health using a Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Results indicated that both quantitative and qualitative SET have significant implications on academics’ health and wellbeing. A series of multiple linear regression analyses examined the unique effects of quantitative and qualitative HWS scores on depression, anxiety, and stress while controlling for demographics (age, gender, years in academia, employment position), with all models significant (R2 = 0.19–0.21, p < 0.001). Findings from the current study have direct implications for policy and practice within higher education. To ensure the health and well-being of staff, institutions should reconsider the extent to which SET are used in high-stakes decisions such as promotion, performance evaluations, and contract renewal.

Details

Title: Impacts of student evaluations of teaching on Australian university academics
Authors: Shaylen E. Stone - University of the Sunshine Coast
Gerard Jefferies (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Megan Lee - Bond University
Cindy Davis - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol.Advanced access
Publisher: Routledge
DOI: 10.1080/02602938.2026.2696400
ISSN: 1469-297X
Copyright note: © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Data Availability: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [Gerard Jefferies], upon reasonable request.
Organisation Unit: Cancer Research Cluster; School of Law and Society
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991246195702621
Output Type: Journal article

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