I wasn't even planning to READ my evaluations this fall!

For weeks--maybe even months, since about the third day of class--I've been predicting that a certain class would lambaste me on course evaluations this fall, but the evaluations came out yesterday and that class showered the love on me while another class that I enjoyed all semester long sent me a bitter Arctic blast. 

Well, part of the class did. The rest simply didn't respond. We've been doing course evaluations online for several years now but with little incentive, many students don't bother. The campus-wide response rate this fall was a little over 60 percent, and my classes had a 58 percent response rate, but that doesn't tell the whole story: my two literature classes had response rates closer to 70 percent, while the two freshman classes were closer to 50 percent.

What kind of student is more likely to respond? I've always assumed that angry students would be more motivated to express themselves on course evaluations, but I'm not seeing that this fall. Only half of my freshman writing students responded, but they seem to be the happy half: the numbers are the highest I've ever received in a freshman class, and the comments are uniformly positive, with one even calling my class his or her favorite. Freshman writing! That never happens.

Wait, the comments aren't entirely positive. Here's an endearing bit of advice: "If you want me to nitpick, I guess she sometimes sounds like she puts herself down a little when she talks, mostly because she doesn't seem to be confident with her technological know-how or lack thereof." Guilty as charged--but isn't it just cute?

My other freshman class had a similar response rate but more negative comments. The numbers are not bad, especially for a required freshman class, but they're lower than I would have expected considering how much I enjoyed that class. On a positive note, 100 percent of respondents agreed that my class improved their ability to analyze, which deserves a pat on the back, but the lowest marks appeared in response to the question on whether students feel comfortable asking questions in class. That's alarming, but at least it gives me something to work on!

Because let's face it: at this point in my career, course evaluations don't make much difference. Tenured full professor at a college with no post-tenure review means that I'll never again need to submit a portfolio testifying to my worth and responding to course evaluations, so I really don't even need to read them--except that I do. I need to know that 11 percent of students in a freshman class don't feel comfortable asking questions, and I also need to know that 100 percent of the respondents in my two literature classes approve of the job I'm doing and say things like this: "I felt like she treated us as equals, asking thought-provoking questions and taking our own thoughts seriously. She genuinely cares about us and wants us to learn and succeed. Loved going to class every day and didn't dread writing the papers."

That's the kind of comment that keeps me going to class even when it feels like things are going very badly. Would the non-respondents say the same thing, or would they raise concerns? Until we develop reliable mind-reading skills, we'll never know.