GLOBAL AND SPECIFIC RATINGS OF TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS AND THEIR RELATION TO COURSE OBJECTIVES - REPLY TO MARSH (1994)

W.E. Cashin and R.G. Downey (1992) studied global student rating items , plus some control variables, for summative evaluation using the Inst ructional Development and Effectiveness Assessment (IDEA) composite fr om 17,183 classes processed in 1989-1990 as the criterion variable. H. W. Marsh (1994), analyzing 29,543 classes processed in 1990-1991, rai sed some questions about the effectiveness of the IDEA composite as a criterion of effective teaching. Marsh generated four additional crite rion variables from the IDEA data. However, examination of Marsh's dat a revealed only minor differences. When the original study was replica ted with each of Marsh's four criterion variables, the results were es sentially the same. Using Marsh's criterion variables supported the or iginal conclusion that global items account for most of the variance i n criterion measures of teaching effectiveness and may be used for sum mative evaluation.