Factors Influencing Participation in Student Evaluation of Teaching (SETs): A Quality Improvement Analysis

OBJECTIVE: Student evaluations of teaching (SETs) collect feedback to evaluate teaching methods, effectiveness, and outcomes. SETs are used frequently by faculty in decisions about course content, curriculum changes, and the promotion process. Reported issues with SETs in dental education include inaccuracy, faculty dissatisfaction, and low response rates. This analysis examined SET response rates over a 6-year period in which academic policies changed such that dental student participation shifted from mandatory to opt-in and then to opt-out. A secondary focus was the influence of respondent burden (i.e., volume of questions) on SET participation rates, as measured by proxy using the number of courses and credit hours. METHODS: This retrospective quality improvement analysis involved SET participation data from dental students (mean 64 per class) enrolled at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry between 2019 and 2024. Analysis of the number of SET responses per class under different participation methods was conducted using t-tests and ANOVA, with significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Student participation was observed to change during different academic policy settings. The highest participation occurred during the mandatory policy period. When policy changed from mandatory (X = 58.6 student responses) to optional (X = 36.7 student responses), a significant decrease in participation occurred (F[1,450] = 156.51, p < 0.001). Further, when the policy changed from opt-in (X = 38.3) to opt-out (X = 31.1), a further significant decrease in participation occurred (F[2,449] = 86.68, p < 0.01). Also, participation was greater in students with a lower class (volume) load (F[1,73] = 7.24, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: SETs were influenced by academic policies that changed from mandatory to optional. Opt-out showed the lowest participation rates compared with opt-in and mandatory. There was a negative relationship between increased course load and participation in SETs. These findings provide insights into factors that can influence SET response rates, including respondent burden and participation strategies.