The Equity Stakes in Student Evaluations of Teaching for Contingent Faculty

What are the equity stakes in student evaluations of teaching (SETs)? And how are these stakes intensified for minoritized contingent faculty in a two-tiered faculty system? This question is particularly salient given that today half of the instructional workforce is part time, with another 20 percent serving in full-time contingent roles. Because of the tenuous status of these contingent faculty appointments, student teaching evaluations can assume disproportionate impact. Due to a lack of employment security and often semester-to-semester appointments, SETs can weigh heavily in reemployment decisions and career progression.