Book Review
“Thirteen Strategies to Measure College Teaching” by Ronald A. Berk
Review by Todd Wilmore

Ronald Berk, the author of Thirteen Strategies to Measure College Teaching, is Professor of Biostatistics and Measurement at the School of Nursing, John Hopkins University, where he has served for 30 years. He has authored nine other books and numerous journal publications.

Dr. Berk makes it clear from the beginning that the book, which contains a wealth of insightful content, is written in a humoristic, almost irreverent, way. If you enjoy the frenetic humor of Robin Williams mixed with a little burlesque-like musings, and you reminisce about your quantitative measurement classes in graduate school, then this book is for you. As Mr. Berk writes, “If you have the sense of humor of a grapefruit, this book may not be for you…”

The book will appeal to the smaller population of administrators and evaluators who are seeking an accurate, but fresh and readable, explanation of the process and intent behind measurement of college teaching. Dr. Berk demonstrates a clear grasp of the concepts and principles of measuring college teaching. Faculty might also find some value in reading the book, particularly in the first five chapters. After that it becomes a bit more tedious and delves more into the statistical, scientific aspect of measurement. Chapters seven through nine are particularly involved.

Dr. Berk writes clearly and provides examples, yet often full of satire, as when he provides an example of a properly formatted statement for an assessment, “Better: My instructor has the personal hygiene of a diseased water buffalo, or, My instructor’s use of a chain saw in class was terrifying.” (77). Some readers may find the humor interferes with the serious content.

Dr. Berk does use a number of techniques to help the reader scan through and find pertinent materials. His ‘memory joggers” are useful tools for easily finding rules applying to each chapter. The “bottom line” feature condenses the points of chapters into clear statements. He also uses a number of checklists that, while sometimes overly long, are useful references.

Throughout the book Dr. Berk reminds readers of the seriousness of the book’s purpose as reflected in his thoughts on ratings bias, “Research on the various types of ratings bias and creative efforts to improve standardization of administration procedures are urgently needed. As more and more institutions adopt online administration, imaginative solutions to those issues should be found.” (139)
Thirteen Strategies to Measure College Teaching is a serious discussion of the process of evaluating what we do as educators. It does not cover anything new but does it in a new way. For those who can enjoy, or at least ignore the humor, the book is worth a look.

Book reviewed by Todd Wilmore. Todd is an Adjunct Faculty with Saint Leo University, and an Associate Graduate Faculty with Central Michigan University College of Graduate Studies, where he teaches courses in Adult Education.

Title: Thirteen Strategies to Measure College Teaching
Author: Ronald A. Berk
Price: $24.95 (Paperback)
Publisher: Stylus Publishing, LLC
Year: 2006
Pages: 293

ISBN: 1579221939