skip to content
Teaching_Evaluations_Policy Teaching Evaluations Policy and Procedures


The University of Connecticut requires instructors to administer student evaluation of their teaching every semester and in every course they teach. Failure to do so is considered an infringement of university policy and may have serious repercussions on the status of the instructor as a graduate student and TA at UConn.

About two weeks before the end of the semester instructors receive in their departmental mailbox a Teaching Evaluation packet for each course they teach. The packet contains the evaluation forms and instructions on how to administer them in class. The evaluation forms are of two kinds: a bubble sheet containing numerical evaluations of your teaching, and a page with questions for free-form comments.Open the packet, read and become familiar with the instructions. 

Teaching Evaluations should be administered before the last day of classes, keeping the last day of classes as a back-up day. 

On the day you plan to administer the Teaching Evaluation ask for a volunteer from your class to supervise it. Make a note of the volunteer's name in case there are questions regarding your administration of the Teaching Evaluation. If you teach freshmen, as most new TAs do, you need to explain to the volunteer and to your class the basic procedure, which is as follows:

  • You leave the classroom for the duration of the Teaching Evaluation (about 15 minutes).
  • The volunteer distributes two forms (one of each kind) to every student.
  • Students fill in the bubble sheet with a pencil, and the free-form comment page with any kind of writing implement.
  • When they finished writing, the volunteer collects all sheets and places both empty and filled evaluations forms in the envelope they came in.
  • The volunteer seals the envelope and signs his/her name across the seal.
  • The volunteer takes the Teaching Evaluations' envelope to the main office, MSB 124, and gives it to Tammy Prentice, after which he/she returns to your class if the class is still in session.

When is the best time to administer teaching evaluations in your class?

To get an undistorted evaluation of your teaching it is advisable not to administer it in a day when you give an exam or a quiz, or return a graded exam or quiz to your class. Regarding the timing of administration during a class period, opinions vary, and you will find your preference through experience. But, regardless if you administer the Teaching Evaluations in the first or in the last 15 minutes of your class, make sure you explain clearly to the volunteer where he/she is supposed to bring the Teaching Evaluations. Make sure the evaluations were delivered successfully, by asking Tammy if she received them. 

At some point during the break you will receive a summary of the numerical teaching evaluations and the entire package of free-form comments. Read the comments carefully and use the student's remarks to make changes and improve your teaching. Even the best teachers can improve. Besides, it is always nice to read appreciative comments about things you put time and effort into, and I hope your students let you know they appreciate your efforts. Keep the Teaching Evaluations for future uses, like, for example, recommendations about your teaching needed for your job applications when you graduate.