My university, like I’m sure most, does not just ask students to evaluate their professors, but also asks students questions, such as whether the course is more work than average, less work than average, etc. The TCE (Teacher Course Evaluations) likewise ask the students their expected grade.
Statistically, there is no correlation between the amount of work or expected grade and the teacher’s evaluation. Moreover, at most research institutions, teaching would have to be poor, i.e., the equivalent of “Bueller, Bueller,” to prevent tenure and promotion, and those profs, even if they gave all “As,” would still receive poor rankings.
–Anonymous