An online platform has been launched to allow University of Dhaka (DU) students to evaluate their teachers, with Ducsu Executive Member Umme Usawatun Rafia taking the initiative independently.
The platform, duevaluation.com, was launched as part of Rafia’s election pledge to introduce a teacher evaluation system at the university.
In a Facebook post, Rafia said teacher evaluation was her “first and main manifesto” during the Ducsu election. She said she had repeatedly approached the university administration to introduce such a system, but the process remained stalled in meetings and reviews.
With her tenure nearing its end, Rafia said she decided to launch the platform independently rather than leave the commitment unfulfilled.
Inspired by Rate My Professors, the platform aims to create a public record of students’ views on teachers and the academic environment at DU. Rafia said she hopes the publication of aggregated results will create “external pressure” to improve teaching quality.
She acknowledged that a university-administered system would have been preferable but said she proceeded with the initiative because the formal process had yet to be implemented.
Students from the 2018-19 academic session and subsequent batches can participate in the evaluations.
To access the platform, students must register using their DU academic email addresses. A verification code will then be sent to their email, which they must enter to access the website.
Once logged in, students can evaluate only teachers from their own departments and cannot review teachers from other departments.
The system is designed to keep individual evaluations anonymous, meaning students’ identities will not be disclosed. However, aggregated evaluation results will be publicly available.
As the platform is an independent initiative and is not centrally operated by the university, participation is voluntary.
The platform has not been officially approved or centrally managed by the DU administration. The university authorities have yet to clarify their position on its evaluation methodology, verification process or the use of data collected through the platform.
Students facing technical or other difficulties can contact executive.rafia@ducsu.du.ac.bd for assistance.