As of Thursday afternoon, students had completed 64,081 class evaluations, indicating a 43.81 percent response rate out of the potential 146,169.

The ClassEval system officially switched over from pencil and paper format to an online system when it went live April 15, 2007. Since then, administrators have noticed the increased response rate providing more reliable results.

“The students found it easy, and the process worked well,” Karen Helm, director of University Planning and Analysis, said in a Faculty Senate meeting after the system’s induction.

This year’s response rate has already surpassed the grand total from last semester.

During the spring of 2008 fewer than 62,000 classes were evaluated.

“I’ve received a lot more e-mails about it this year from both the University and my professors,” Carol Ann Osterhoudt, a sophomore in biology, said. “It just seems like there’s a lot more push to do it.”

Osterhoudt also notes that the incentives offered by professors could potentially be increasing the response rate.

“My chemistry professor last year offered five extra points on one of our tests if we had a 75 percent or higher response rate,” she said.

When offering incentives, professors have no official method of recognizing which students have completed the evaluations and which haven’t. Professors can only view the total response rate for the classes they instruct.

Osterhoudt admits that she has several remaining class evaluations to complete, but said she will get around to doing it.

“I’m just doing them in parts since they take a while,” she said.

But still, some students said they fill out only the ones they want to fill out.

“I’ve filled out a few of them, mainly the ones that I had a lot to say about,” Elliot Peng, a sophomore in accounting, said.

Peng said he believes that most students will comment on professors when they are very opinionated on an aspect of the instructor’s style.

“I went in depth on the teachers that really need to make some improvements,” he said. “The professors that are good I might just write a few words about.”

Even before going online, class evaluations have always been designed to aid instructors with improving their courses and teaching.

“I’ve had professors tell me before that it helps them know what to change for next year and to learn how to change their teaching style,” Osterhoudt said. “It really lets them know what is effective and what isn’t.”

Osterhoudt also believes that students have a responsibility to provide their professors with advice through the ClassEval system if they are dissatisfied.

“If I want to complain about my professor I also need to critique him just like if you want to complain about our president, you also need to vote on him,” Osterhoudt said.

Although students may not see the immediate results of critiquing their instructors, some say they need to understand the importance of ensuring a brighter future for their colleagues.

“It’s going to help the next group of students that will have the professor rather than helping me personally,” Peng said.

As it stands, the reviews can are confidential, viewable by professors only after all grades have been posted.

“I don’t think they should ever be public because they might have some really angry students write about the professors,” Peng said.

ClassEval will close Monday Dec. 8 at 8 a.m.