Morrison now does not even bother to fill in the evaluation sheets distributed in classes close to the end of every semester. It's a waste of my time because it doesn't make a difference. She said she has not done teacher evaluations once this year because she does not think it is worth it. But UF faculty and administrators say that conditions will not improve if students do not take the time to evaluate their instructors. UF Provost Andrew Sorensen said the evaluations are an important tool students can use to gain influence concerning who teaches them and how well instructors perform.
Instructors read evaluations for suggestions on areas of improvement.
For example, theater professor Ralf Remshardt said he changed his teaching style when evaluations told him he read from his notes too much. Along with the growing importance and exposure of evaluations, there also is growing concern of how instructors will react to criticism. Also, the Academic Personnel Board, a committee that evaluates faculty for promotion and tenure, uses the evaluations to help guide their decisions, Sorensen said. The committee evaluates professors about every six years to recommend promotions. Faculty evaluations also now are open for students to review.