The UWM Community Shares its Thoughts on Course Evaluations

The end of the semester means stress and impending finals for most of the student body at UW-Milwaukee. For instructors, it means course evaluations. It is mandated university-wide that instructors administer course evaluations, but what exactly happens with those seemingly unremarkable sheets students fill out on the last day of class? To what standard should they hold the university’s educators? Media Milwaukee set out to ask the educators and students of UWM their thoughts on course evaluations. 

Across the board, students feel like their concerns are being brushed over or ignored by the departments with which they address them. The students who were interviewed stressed how important it was to them that their educators be held to a standard by the university when it comes to the feedback given on course evaluations. On average, students expect their educators to fall between at least 3 and 4 across all categories on their course evaluations.

Although the university does have a policy mandating that evaluations be conducted, it’s up to departments to decide the manner in which they are written and administered. There is no required uniformity in what questions are asked or whether they need to be numerical.

Each department throughout UWM has its own protocols when it comes to dealing with the feedback given in course evaluations. The Chair of the English Department, Professor Gregory Jay, offered some insight to how his department specifically deals with evaluations. According to Jay, numerical responses are compiled into spreadsheets and all evaluations for 200 and above level courses are reviewed by a committee. 

 “Faculty getting negative reviews doesn’t do much because of the power they hold towards the university,” Jay said.

To be clear, not every educator at UWM holds the same title. Faculty members, in terms of who Jay was referring to, are educators with indefinite status or tenure. When an educator receives indefinite status or tenure, the university is less likely to take action regarding negative evaluations, according to Jay. Tenured professors are also the driving force behind the university’s research and the funding that is granted. However, when it comes to lecturers, senior lecturers and instructors who teach one class a semester, negative course evaluations have a greater chance of prompting a response from the university. 

 “Students give high numbers but express a lot in the comments. When we start to see patterns that’s when we start taking steps to a different approach,” Jay said.

Many of the students stressed the importance of course evaluations from their perspective. Nursing student Markeisha Thomas even argued that course evaluations should be mandatory for students.

“If (an educator) is negatively reviewed, there should be a mandatory meeting in that department to discuss behavior and teaching techniques,” said Thomas.

Thomas theorized that students may not take a numerical evaluation as seriously as one where they’re asked to provide qualitative feedback. This idea harkens back to the quote from Professor Jay. Of the students interviewed, many claimed to give honest and thoughtful feedback on their course evaluations, but some admitted to not caring about what marks they put down. For instance, Sociology major Yahira Santa Cruz said she doesn’t put much stock into course evaluations because she doesn’t think it will affect any real change in an educator’s teaching style. Nursing student Vanessa Owusu had similar thoughts.

“I don’t take them seriously… I don’t really always understand what they’re asking. Overall, I answer somewhat truthfully,” Owusu says.

Some students expressed their frustrations with feeling like their course evaluations aren’t being seriously considered when discussing the employment of UWM’s educators. 

Megan Sullivan was perched at the Library Grind when she shared similar frustrations.

“I’ve had some professors where, year after year, people give them bad reviews and yet they’re still here,” Sullivan said.

Psychology major Kendra Bisping sees a divide between the school’s priorities and student welfare.

“Obviously the university cares more about the professor’s research but students don’t care,” said Bisping. “They want professors who can actually teach and as a professors job they should be able to do both adequately.”

Genuine and honest feedback is essential to the progress of the university as a whole. Only when every student gives genuine and concise feedback can the university’s educators be held to the appropriate standard, and can education campus-wide reach its full potential.

Students from JAMS 320 class contributed reporting to this story.