From golden tips to toxic feedback: ‘I always feel nervous when I receive my student evaluations’

Student evaluations once played a decisive role in teachers’ careers, but now they’re mainly used to improve the quality of education. Still, student feedback can sometimes hit teachers hard. ‘Many complaints stem from personal frustrations, like deadlines and not getting extra time.’

Each year, thousands of students submit their assessments of their teachers: how was the teacher, the course material, and most importantly… what could be improved? While one student praises the teacher to the skies, another uses the survey as a complaint wall.

But what actually happens to this flood of opinions? Do teachers face the classroom on shaky knees after a poor score, wondering if they’ll still be allowed to teach, or do the surveys disappear into a digital black hole? Univers dives into the world of evaluation forms and investigates whether a poor report card could mean the end of a teaching career at Tilburg University.

A Signaling Function

Until a few years ago, student evaluations were an essential part of teacher performance reviews. A teacher who received poor evaluations had to anticipate a critical assessment discussion.

This is no longer the case, explains Dries Deweer, Vice Dean of Education at the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences: ‘Employees are no longer directly evaluated based on student evaluations. Instead, these evaluations serve as an important signal for teachers and program directors.’

‘Students sometimes offer a golden tip, or they pinpoint a sensitive issue. ‘Students’ experiences give us valuable insights; they help us identify areas of quality in education that need attention and show where improvement might be needed,’ says Deweer.

Discussion with the Program Director

Ellen Dreezens, a lecturer in Liberal Arts and Sciences at TSHD, has occasionally received critical feedback. She discussed the results with her program director: ‘In such a conversation, you can better determine whether it’s a valid remark shared by several students or a personal opinion of one student. Such a discussion helps you avoid a defensive reaction and look at how to improve the course. I take feedback seriously and am always looking for ways to improve.’

If the program director suspects issues during such a conversation, they can consult with student panels to see what can be improved: ‘At University College, we talk to groups of students. We can then immediately check whether everyone agrees with the feedback from a single student. The challenge, however, is getting enough students together for a genuinely meaningful discussion,’ says Dreezens.

Elodie Malanda, a lecturer in Culture Studies, also takes the results of student evaluations seriously: ‘I’m nervous every time about the results. Ironically, it’s the evaluations of the classes I’ve worked hardest on that make me the most anxious.

‘So far, my evaluations have been fine, but I sometimes email students to check whether the adjustments I’ve made are truly working. Based on their constructive feedback, I then further adapt the course.’

With a Grain of Salt

However, it’s also important to take the results of a student survey with a grain of salt, says Dreezens: ‘Student surveys aren’t representative. Sometimes a lot of students fill in the evaluations, and then the feedback is reliable. But it’s happened too often that I’ve adapted my course based on those evaluations, only to hear that the students the following year wanted exactly the opposite.’

Moreover, according to Dreezens, not all students understand the difference between an ‘enjoyable’ and an ‘educational’ course: ‘Often, you have to teach students topics they don’t necessarily find interesting, but that are essential background knowledge for a specific master’s program.’

According to Dreezens, this is also reflected in the results of student evaluations: ‘Often, you see that a popular teacher with a less effective course receives higher ratings than an unpopular teacher with an excellent course. Some of the negative comments I receive are about personal frustrations or complaints from students. They sometimes feel things are unfair, like not getting extra time for a deadline.’

Influence of Bias

Teachers are not always evaluated equally by students. And it becomes even more subjective: evaluations can also be influenced by factors such as gender, race, appearance, or the teacher’s accent. ‘Studies show that women and researchers of color are usually evaluated more negatively, which is why you need to be cautious with the results,’ says Malanda.

‘Women typically score half a point lower than men. It’s unfortunate, but my colleagues and I take this into account when discussing the evaluations,’ adds Dreezens.

Deweer confirms these concerns and points out that training sessions are available for program directors to raise awareness of potential biases in evaluations: ‘We want to ensure we properly assess the value and limitations of these evaluations.’

Maurits den Hollander, a university lecturer in legal history, has personally never encountered bias in his evaluations. However, he can well imagine that this happens regularly. ‘A few years ago, there was an outcry on social media about a colleague with a non-European background. It was claimed that her English was incomprehensible, even though she was a native speaker. The university took immediate action and tried to support this colleague as best as possible.’

According to Den Hollander, evaluation results are always handled with care, as the program director discusses the results with the relevant lecturers. ‘There are enough protection mechanisms at the institutional level,’ he says. ‘Still, you can’t forget that hurtful comments are first read by the teacher themselves and can therefore have an impact.’

Inappropriate Comments

This brings us to a sensitive issue, which Den Hollander touches upon. It’s easy to claim that a teacher doesn’t prepare their lectures or speaks poor English, because the evaluations are anonymous. However, inappropriate comments and toxic feedback do not go without consequences for students. ‘It’s crucial to create a safe environment for both students and teachers,’ emphasizes Deweer.

If an inappropriate comment is identified, the student will receive a warning about violating the code of conduct via their anonymous user account. In case of repeated violations, their account may be excluded from further participation in evaluations.

There has even been consideration of removing anonymity, but this could lead to less honest feedback from students. Deweer: ‘That’s why, in consultation with the program committees and student representatives, it was decided to keep the evaluation anonymous from the university’s perspective. In cases of inappropriate behavior, however, a complaint can be filed.’

Looking for Improvements

There are caveats when it comes to student evaluations. Do the teachers themselves have plans or ideas for improving the evaluation process? ‘At University College, we mainly try to focus on the course content rather than the teacher, in order to avoid only measuring popularity,’ says Dreezens. ‘For example, we ask students whether they received enough feedback and if the course material was adequate.’

Den Hollander, in turn, suggests approaching quality control differently: ‘Let colleagues or educational experts occasionally sit in on a lecture to provide tips to the teacher. Don’t place that responsibility on the students. They have to fill out many surveys every semester, which doesn’t help form a good judgment.’

Malanda also has her own ideas for improving the evaluation process. She proposes having informal conversations with students after the course. This way, they can discuss the content, methods, and learning objectives to improve the education.

‘But this requires time and commitment from both the teacher and the students,’ she adds. ‘The academic year is already very busy.’ Effective evaluations take time, and that time isn’t always available.

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