Lexie Perez
Graphic depicting students’ unwillingness to listen to faculty’s statements about their importance. (Hustler Multimedia/Lexie Perez)
At the end of each semester, Vanderbilt students have the opportunity to complete evaluations of each of their courses, but, according to Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs and Professional Education Tracey George, a majority of students at Vanderbilt fail to do so. Despite the evaluations being used for faculty reviews, she said the completion rate is “too low,” and students do not provide enough written comments.
Professors at Vanderbilt believe that most students do not take course evaluations seriously, making it difficult for faculty to utilize them effectively. Students at Vanderbilt waver in their perspective of course evaluations; while some acknowledge their usefulness, others question whether faculty members value them.
According to George, between Fall 2017 and Spring 2022, 46.6% of Vanderbilt undergraduates completed their course evaluations, with spring semesters exhibiting dramatically lower completion rates than the fall. Faculty emphasized the importance of these evaluations and stated that they are helpful in year-to-year changes and utilized during promotion, reappointment and salary changes.
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