Final grades are due for Jude Mathews, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology, but her students aren’t the only ones being graded.
Toward the end of each semester, Northeastern students receive an email notifying them that the Teacher Rating and Course Evaluation, or TRACE, form is available to complete. TRACE is an online survey designed by the Student Government Association and the Faculty Senate, which allows students to provide anonymous feedback for their course professors.
The TRACE evaluation system was introduced in 2008 and is accessible through the Student Hub under the Academics, Classes and Registration tab. According to Northeastern’s website, TRACE evaluations “are important in the process of course design and improvement, as well as in the process of faculty evaluation.”
But for some professors, TRACE feedback can sometimes feel more destructive than constructive.
Fielding personal attacks
Every semester, Mathews says she braces for negative feedback on her TRACE evaluation.
“You tend to get personal attacks, which are just hard for anybody, and nobody likes to read those,” said Mathews, who has been teaching at the university for 14 years. Professors are given a 10-day window to submit a request to remove any comments that are deemed “personal attacks,” Mathews said.
Kelley Danahy, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology, joined Northeastern faculty in 2022. After her first semester teaching, Danahy said she was eager to receive TRACE feedback.
“I had in total 250 students, and most of [the evaluations] were fine,” Danahy said. “Not everyone is going to enjoy the class, but they’ll say what they do or do not like, and that’s totally fair and valid.”
But there was one comment Danahy received that has made her “terrified” of TRACE ever since.
“One of [the reviews] began with, ‘You were never available outside of class. This class was ridiculously hard,’ which doesn’t bother me,” Danahy said. “But then it went on to, ‘You clearly look down on students.’”
The student had found Danahy’s private Instagram account and tried to use a post she made of a blobfish as proof of this claim. Danahy said the Instagram post was misinterpreted.
“I made a joke comparing myself to a blobfish because I thought I gave my students an easy question on [an] exam, and it did not go well. The joke was about me, like, I feel like [the] jerk,” Danahy said.
The comment that included her Instagram account was redacted by the university. Now, when Danahy sees the TRACE email in her inbox, she has her sister read the reviews first.
Sometimes the reviews cut even deeper. Leonel Murga, an assistant teaching professor in the chemistry and chemical biology department, said that “essentially there is no accountability” due to the anonymous nature of TRACE reviews. He received a particularly negative review after the spring 2025 semester, allegedly calling him a “cunt,” which prompted Murga to contact the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, or OSCCR. Murga said OSCCR replied that no recourse could be taken against the student.
Murga was able to get the review containing expletives redacted. However, he thinks the university should take further steps.
“There should be a … possibility of identifying the people. But at some point, either [OSCCR] or the police should be able to access the identity of a person when this kind of stuff happens,” Murga said. “It is fine that somebody doesn’t like your teaching; you cannot satisfy everybody. But to get to that level of vitriol, that is something else.”
There is a redaction system available for faculty, with criteria including reviews which appear to evaluate instructors “on criteria not related to her/his teaching performance and/or on a discriminatory basis.” Moreover, reviews that allege professors of professional impropriety, including harassment and discrimination, may be redacted and referred to other university authorities for further investigation.
“Faculty can review their own evaluation reports after grades are due, including student comments, before they are published to the university community,” a Northeastern spokesperson wrote in an email to The Huntington News. “After reviewing student feedback from TRACE, faculty may request redaction of any comments that meet the criteria below. The Provost’s Office reviews these requests.”
Impact on tenure
Although TRACE reviews may be useful for students in deciding which professors to register with classes for, they also factor into decisions when a professor applies for tenure or a promotion.
Dan Kennedy has been a professor at Northeastern’s School of Journalism since 2005, three years before Northeastern made the switch to online teacher evaluations. When Kennedy was up for tenure, he had to find his past paper-conducted reviews and include them in his tenure dossier. Though the questions were still anonymous, they provided essential feedback that helped Kennedy secure his tenure.
“TRACE evaluations are submitted by faculty when they are applying for tenure and/or promotion. They make up one part of the teaching materials that are reviewed by the department, college committee, dean, and provost in making decisions,” a university spokesperson wrote in an email. “Tenure and promotion reviews consider the whole of the faculty member’s teaching portfolio along with their research/scholarship/creative activity, professional development, and service.”
Because Kennedy is a tenured professor, “It would be very difficult for [Northeastern] to get rid of me,” Kennedy said. “And yet, I still get nervous about [TRACE].”
When TRACE day comes around, Kennedy said he anxiously awaits for his reviews.
“One of the good things about [TRACE] is that sometimes [students] will say that well, ‘This book wasn’t very good,’ or ‘We didn’t do enough with that book,’ or ‘He lectures too much,’” Kennedy said. “I do lecture too much — and so you do try to make some adjustments.”
Alternatively, students flock to Rate My Professor, a public website that allows students to comment on their teachers.
“I remember after one class, somebody put up on Rate My Professor that she didn’t like me because I grade students down if they misspell names. And I loved it,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy loved this review so much, he printed it out and put it on his door.
Uncovering potential biases
Professor Patricia Mabrouk has been teaching chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern for more than 30 years while also conducting science education research. Mabrouk believes that within the TRACE evaluation system, there are “strong biases.”
“Black faculty are often viewed as being less competent than white and Asian faculty,” Mabrouk said. “They are also viewed as having inferior interpersonal skills.”
The university did not comment on alleged gender and racial biases in data. On its “Criteria for Redaction” webpage, the university outlines its “Equal Opportunity” policy and links to the Office of Belonging webpage.
Mabrouk went on to say that even things like age, attractiveness or the discipline a professor teaches can impact an evaluation. TRACE evaluations also impact a professor’s merit raises, which can enable them to conduct research or even help their promotion eligibility. She feels that the anonymous nature of the survey opens the door for issues and that the TRACE survey must be amended to prevent students from leaving hurtful comments. Additionally, she argued that in-person feedback would help mitigate false evaluations.
“I know why this does not occur, because it’s a lot of work,” Mabrouk said. “But they should be trained and should go in the classroom and literally evaluate the quality of the education the students are receiving and provide constructive, specific and actionable feedback so that faculty can learn and grow.”
