Student perceptions and expectations of the course evaluation system before and after the transition to online teaching

This study examines student perceptions and expectations of the Students’ Evaluation of Teaching (SET) system at the German Jordanian University (GJU), focusing on the adequacy of the current evaluation instrument in assessing online teaching and learning experiences. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a large-scale survey of 500 students with qualitative interviews to provide a comprehensive understanding of student perspectives. The findings reveal a significant misalignment between student expectations and their actual experiences with the SET system. Students expressed dissatisfaction with the current instrument, indicating that it fails to capture several important dimensions of online education. Specifically, aspects such as engagement strategies, platform usability, instructor accessibility, quality of interaction, digital communication, and responsiveness to technological challenges were reported as insufficiently represented. Consequently, many students perceived the evaluation process as limited in its ability to generate meaningful and actionable feedback on teaching effectiveness. The study therefore proposes a redesigning of the SET instrument through the inclusion of dedicated dimensions that address online communication, digital learning environments, interaction quality, multimedia resources, and technical support. Such revisions would improve the accuracy of student feedback, enhance institutional quality assurance processes, and better align teaching evaluation practices with contemporary digital learning environments.