Ken Ryalls

President IDEA

  • Omaha NE

Ken Ryalls is dedicated to the improvement of learning in higher education through research, assessment, and professional development

Contact

Social

Biography

Ken Ryalls is president of The IDEA Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing analytics, resources and advice to improve learning in higher education. After graduating from Indiana University with a PhD in Social Psychology, Ken served in a variety of traditional roles in higher education, including professor, program director, division chair, dean, and vice president for academic affairs. His keen interest in the improvement of learning outcomes permeated his career at colleges and reflected his dedication to improving the quality of the student experience through better teaching, effective leadership, and enhanced coordination between academic and student affairs. He currently satisfies his passion for quality education through leading a professional staff of academics in research and development at IDEA, asking questions of academic interest around pedagogy, leadership, and student experiences; designing effective assessment and feedback systems; and writing and speaking about the impact of IDEA research.

Industry Expertise

Education/Learning

Areas of Expertise

Higher Education
Adult Education
Public Speaking
Distance Learning
Program Development

Education

Indiana University Bloomington

PhD

Social Psychology

The University of Texas at Austin

BS

Psychology

Affiliations and Past Experience

  • Nebraska Methodist College : Former VP for Academic Affairs
  • College of Saint Mary : Former Chair - Arts and Sciences & Professor

Media Mentions

From Futile Reviews to Meaningful Student Feedback

EdSurge  

2016-04-22

Student ratings of instruction inspire passion. This feedback can have a very personal effect on those who teach. As a former professor, I can still remember some of the most scathing reviews I got from students. It doesn’t go away. So while I do not deny that student feedback is sometimes misguided, useless or even downright cruel, we must keep in mind that students spend more time observing the faculty member’s teaching than anyone else on campus. They’re uniquely positioned to provide meaningful insight into our teaching...

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Student Evaluations Of Professors Flawed

Stanford : The College Puzzle  

2015-12-01

The IDEA Center, a 40-year-old nonprofit that spun off from Kansas State University, thinks it has a student-ratings system that overcomes two chief critiques of most surveys: poorly designed questions and misused results. Its course-evaluation tool, which has been steadily gaining traction on campuses, is designed to help professors judge how well they’re meeting their own course goals. “It’s all about the improvement of teaching and learning,” says Ken Ryalls, the center’s president...

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Flawed Evaluations

Inside Higher Ed  

2015-06-10

Of course, not all course evaluations are created equal. Ken Ryalls is president of IDEA, which offers colleges and universities research-based course evaluation systems that can control for class size, student motivation and other factors. He said he understands faculty concerns about low response rates baring statistically insignificant data, but that the correlation between response rates and teacher ratings is actually quite low...

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Event and Conference Appearances

Combining Faculty Perceptions and Chair Self Reflections in Performance Review

Academic Chair Conference, February 2017  New Orleans, LA

Using IDEA's Student Ratings of Instruction as an Indirect Measure of Impact at a Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

American Association of Colleges and Universities, January 2017  San Francisco, CA

Deep Learning: Research on High Impact Teaching Methods

Professional and Organizational Development Network (POD), November 2016  Louisville, KY

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Articles

Alignment of Global Outcomes for Assessment and Accreditation

Academic Chairpersons Conference

2016

Influential higher education organizations aspire to measure different sets of global student outcomes, yet widespread agreement exists. This presentation centers on how IDEA's Student Ratings of Instruction Learning Objectives align with global outcomes from AAC&U's Value Rubric, Lumina's DQP, HLC's Criteria for Accreditation, and NSSE's Engagement Indicators.

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Valuing the Undervalued: Professional Development for Chairs and Adjuncts

Academic Chairpersons Conference

2014

Department chairs and adjunct instructors share some things in common. They do much of the work but receive little recognition, and they frequently assume their professional roles under-prepared. What can be done to support their professional development? IDEA’s multi-faceted feedback system will be described followed by guided discussion.

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From Futile Reviews to Meaningful Student Feedback

EdSurge

2016-04-22

Student voice matters. We need to take the time to listen.

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