Class evaluation is a key tool we have to influence the quality of our education. Your evaluations not only help improve subjects for future students, but they also help our teachers improve. Feedback is important and has a big impact on your future studies.
But what's the best way to evaluate? Verbal evaluations are most valuable - constructive and factual. It doesn't help just to give a low rating without further comments. For example, if you didn't like the study materials, state what you were missing, or what could be improved.
I also want to point out that class evaluations are now fully transparent. You can see the history of class evaluations including written comments for each subject in the Edison system in the subject tab. In addition, a new directive has been issued which stipulates that department heads must mandatorily respond to all relevant suggestions and prepare proposed measures. Furthermore, students from the Academic Senate are also involved in interpreting the results.
How to evaluate a subject? Focus on its importance to the studies, difficulty, and what possible improvements could be made. Think about whether the subject was useful and whether the lectures provided anything valuable.
And how to evaluate a teacher? Focus on their professional approach and the quality of teaching. Were you satisfied with how they taught and how well they knew the material? What could have helped you understand the subject better?
Thank you for the time you dedicate to class evaluations. Not only do you help improve our studies, but you also strengthen our voice within the university. Your evaluation does not go to waste, on the contrary, it has a great weight for improving teaching at the university. So let's do it!
Martin Haváček, Chairman of the Student Chamber of the Academic Senate at VSB-TUO
(with contributions from Tobias Janča and Chat-GPT)