‘HELPA’: A rapid means of student evaluation of lecturing performance in higher education

A procedure which allows academic staff to obtain rapid student assessment of lecturing performance has been developed and tested over a period of three years. A computer program has been devised which allows the data to be utilised in a variety of ways. These include self-evaluation, job applications, promotion applications or group discussions. The simplicity of the questionnaire and the ease of processing and documentation have been well received by both staff and students who, in our experience, are often reluctant to respond to more complex procedures. The ‘HELPA‘ protocol has been adopted by a number of individuals and departments within the Victoria University of Technology.