STUDENT GUIDE
How to Give Helpful Course Evaluations
The student’s role in the Online Faculty Evaluation process.
As a student at the University of Florida you play a crucial role in the development of course material. What you say does make a difference in the
quality of instruction that is available at UF. Just as you expect to be graded fairly over the course of a semester, your instructors expect you not only to
evaluate their courses but also to include specific instances that support your comments. This collaboration between student and instructor contributes
to an atmosphere of learning and critical thinking that is an important part of the higher education experience.
THE GOOD
“This instructor is awesome!
He was available after class
to answer any questions I
had. He made the course
material come alive by
providing real world
examples I could relate to.”
THE BAD
“This class rocks!”
“The tests suck!”
• Good evaluations
include more than simple
emotional statements, good
or bad.
• Bad evaluations are those
that only have emotional
statements or no comments
at all.
• Whether you enjoyed the
class or not, providing
specific examples for your
instructor gives him/her a
student perspective of what
is working and what is not
working.
• Although they may provide
some sort of clue that
you liked or disliked a class,
since no reasons are given,
the instructor can only
guess what worked
and what didn’t work.
THE UGLY
“You smell bad and your
mother dresses you funny.”
“Bad hair: 27 days and
counting.”
• Don’t be a troll. The ugly
evaluation benefits no one.
• Instead, focus on only
those things directly related
to learning...the textbook,
the assignments, did the
instructor speak loudly
enough, etc.
evaluations.ufl.edu
GATORRATER
Online Faculty Evaluations