An Agency Theory Perspective on Student Performance Evaluation

Abstract

The emphasis in recent research on the responsibility of college and university business instructors to prepare students for future employment underscores a need to refine the evaluation of student performance. In this article, an agency theory framework is used to understand the trade-offs that may be involved in the selection of various approaches to student evaluation. Understanding these trade-offs may be particularly important as faculty members seek to balance competing obligations, such as research and service requirements, while ensuring instructional effectiveness. This article presents propositions for examining how various institutional, instructor, and student characteristics influence the selection and use of student performance evaluation techniques (i.e., exams, papers, and group assignments). In conclusion, we suggest that agency theory may serve as a foundation for understanding current evaluation practices and guiding instructors in their selection of appropriate evaluation mechanisms.

The Relationship Between Undergraduate Attendance and Performance Revisited: Alignment of Student and Instructor Goals

“…One challenge that university instructors face is in determining the most effective and efficient mechanisms to engage students in the assurance of learning in the class setting. Research by Smith et al (2005) is particularly informative in this regard. They developed a theoretical framework using agency theory to explain student evaluation mechanisms, which help us understand some of the factors that influence the alignment of goals in the student‐instructor relationship.…”

“…They developed a theoretical framework using agency theory to explain student evaluation mechanisms, which help us understand some of the factors that influence the alignment of goals in the student‐instructor relationship. In this paper, we apply and extend work by Smith et al (2005) in proposing that attendance is a mechanism that helps to align the relationship between the university instructor and undergraduate student toward achieving desired learning outcomes.…”

“…Eisenhardt's (1989) seminal work on opportunities for expanding the use of agency theory also suggests that researchers explore microlevel dyad phenomena. Smith et al (2005) followed this suggestion by examining the microlevel dyad of an instructor‐student relationship. They draw from a central tenet of agency theory, which proposes that a principal delegates tasks to an agent and then takes steps to ensure that the outcome of an agent's efforts fulfill the principal's objectives.…”

“…Our study explores the relationship between attendance and performance in the business management higher education classroom and tests whether this relationship is consistent for both high and low performers. As a conceptual lens, we apply agency theory as interpreted by Smith, Zsidisin, and Adams (2005) for the instructor‐student context. Within this setting, we build and test hypotheses on the relationship between attendance and performance.…”

Integrated systems oriented student-centric learning environment

“…Smith et al (2005) proposed a framework based on agency theory that provides a guideline for observing differences in the types of student evaluations across various levels of college and university education. These authors compare outcome-based vs behavior-based assessment methods.…”