Teaching Evaluations

As a member of the teaching staff, I get to be evaluated by my students near to the end of every semester. I normally see the evaluation feedback in the following semester and I have to acknowledge the ratings and comments given and to reply with my own feedback if necessary. For the first semester when I started teaching, I was very nervous to get back my evaluations. As I was new in academia, I didn’t know if I did good or if my students liked me.

The subject is quite boring. May add in some interesting material.
If possible, lecture note should be presented in a simple & plain English because too definition based will make it difficult to understand.

This was my very first feedback in 2014. It was my first time teaching an information security course. I did realise the lecture slides were a bit too wordy but being new I didn’t dare to reword them.

Interesting teaching way and we can get the knowledge faster.
A good lecturer indeed!
The best lecturer! I really understand what she teaches in class. Very good! I hope in the future she also teaches us. I think majority will agree with me.

For the following year, I received much positive feedback. Of course, I’m pleased.

Explains clearly scope and intro what to be learnt. Great teaching method with examples. Suitable pace. Clear and loud.
Clear explanation on what to be done. Clear steps on how to do. Extra info for students. Solves problems well with patience.
Explains every question clear. Communicate well with students. Teaches and explains with examples. Best tutor ever!
Teaching very clearly. Easy to understand. Answer students question with easy example and explanation.

As I get more comfortable in teaching, I got slightly better feedback, though I also got a few evaluations without any comment. Asian students generally don’t like to voice up their comment, no matter good or bad, on such formal platform. However, on social media, they are totally different people altogether, with mostly complaints. I have heard ‘horror’ stories of students complaining about lecturers on social media so I tend to avoid reading any of them.

Lecturer is full of knowledge.
She is a patient lecturer. We know a lot about information security from her
Very nice tutor. She is very experienced, knows a lot of thing.

This feedback was the latest from last semester where I did another information security course. I’m actually quite surprised that my students saw me as experienced and full of knowledge. Although I feel I have improved, I still don’t see myself very experienced yet. Anyway, I’m still glad to get such positive feedback. It means I’m doing something good and my students feel it.

So, if you are a teaching staff, what kind of feedback you have received? Is there any interesting or funny feedback?