Ace teacher evaluation surveys with SurveyMonkey

Uncover the student feedback you need to take your teaching to the next level.

Getting honest, high-quality feedback from students is a powerful way to boost your teaching and a great opportunity to “walk the walk” of a growth mindset. After all, the belief that intelligence can be developed through learning, persistence, and hard work isn’t just for students. It’s also handy for instructors, especially when it comes to teacher evaluation surveys.

Teacher evaluation surveys don't just measure the molding of young minds—they can help teachers make more informed instructional decisions and advance their relationships with their students.

Let’s take a look at what that evaluation process might look like, why it’s important, and how using evaluation surveys can supercharge your growth as a teacher.

What is teacher evaluation?

Teacher evaluation is a standardized process used to review teachers’ performance and effectiveness. The feedback from teacher evaluations can be used to improve instructional methods and strategies—which, in turn, will improve the student experience. That last part is key, as feedback that comes directly from students helps teachers hone their teaching styles, identify learning gaps, address obstacles in their classrooms, and more.

Why is it important to evaluate teachers?

You can’t improve the quality of your teaching without first understanding what needs improvement. The goal of teacher evaluations, particularly a teaching survey for students, is to collect insights that can be used to take action. A solid system of teacher evaluation will:

• Assess the effectiveness of your instruction, so you can repeat successful strategies and rework those that don’t resonate with students.
• Clarify professional development needs, so you can seek out the training or resources that will fuel your teaching.
• Identify gaps in tools, support, and funding that may have prevented students from grasping a concept or fully engaging in the classroom.
• Provide evidence of growth and valuable data that you can use to inform your instruction or advance your career.

How to use teacher evaluation surveys

The easiest way to find out what students think about your teaching and your course is to ask—and the easiest way to do that is with a survey. Sending an evaluation survey to students will give them a voice, allow you to efficiently collect their feedback, and help you identify trends and issues that need your attention.

Here are four steps you can take to gather student feedback through teacher evaluation surveys:

1. Explain the purpose and goals of the survey
   Take the time to discuss why you’re sending this survey to your students. Explain how you’ll look at the data, how you’ll act on it, and why you value students’ honesty. Be up front about whether students have the option to answer the survey anonymously and whether anyone else, like your department head or fellow teachers, will see the results. The Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University also suggests mentioning student feedback in your syllabus. This will emphasize that feedback is a component of your course and may help students pay closer attention to their experience in your classroom.
   
2. Ask the right questions
   How do you know what questions will spark valuable student feedback? Start by considering what you want to get out of your teacher evaluation survey. Maybe you want a better understanding of how students view your teaching style or whether they feel comfortable approaching you with questions. Maybe you want to dig into the workload, pace, and structure of your course, then follow up with questions on your instruction. (Our course evaluation template can help with that.) Think about what you need to know to enhance your teaching and your relationship with your students.