The Government of the Student Body is now planning a mid-semester teacher evaluation with the goal of helping teachers adapt to their students’ needs before the end of spring classes.

Sarah Denburger, director of academic affairs for GSB, said the committee wants to work with teachers to create a classroom environment beneficial to everyone.

“This isn’t meant to dishonor the teachers, it’s basically meant to improve the classroom situation,” Denburger said.

She said the academic affairs committee hopes to increase teachers’ awareness of classroom needs by mid-semester because teachers should know if students are having trouble understanding their lectures or study guides.

“I think that needs to be taken care of about mid-semester instead of waiting until the end of the semester and having a student say, ‘That was a terrible class,'” Denburger said.

GSB President Rob Wiese said the Faculty Senate has expressed willingness to form a committee to examine the possibility of changing teacher evaluations.

Wiese said the mid-semester reviews would take a qualitative approach and allow students to express what they like and dislike about the class up to that time.

“Hopefully the students and faculty together can come to an agreement and say what would work best for most of the students,” Wiese said.

He said the goal of the evaluations would be to work with the teachers, not to publicly display the results.

“Other schools make it more of a public affair,” Wiese said. “We need to get the faculty’s read on what they’re comfortable with.”

Denburger said the academic affairs committee hopes to work with the faculty to develop an evaluation that all parties feel is fair and honest.

She also said the evaluations would help faculty improve their classes by adapting the media used to present material.

Denburger said she hoped to have the evaluations ready this semester, but the project is still only in the planning stages.

She said the committee currently needs input and interest from students and faculty.

The committee also plans to contact professors that currently administer mid-semester evaluations and the College of Education to help develop a group of standardized questions.

Denburger said she has encountered mid-semester reviews in some of her own classes.

“A lot of those professors really welcome the input of the students because they understand that the only way they can learn is if everyone’s on the same playing field,” she said.

“Students might feel afraid to express classroom constructive criticism, but hopefully we make an evaluation that will be constructive and not destructive,” Denburger said.

Students interested in helping can contact Sarah Denburger at the GSB office, 294-1585.