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There are many documented problems with student evaluations, but it is also clear that they are not going away any time soon. For me, the question is what use can I make of these when my goal is not tenure or promotion, but improvements for the next time I teach this course in a semester or a year. In my situation (as for others) the key is encouraging written responses. In this presentation I discuss presenting the evaluation goal to students through an articulation of course components, particularly readings, in-class activities, formal and informal assessments. Whatever the questions mandated by the university, encouraging written responses in key areas that target my goals for improving a course is a means of ensuring that the evaluations move beyond tenure and promotion considerations or generalized comments on whether students 'liked' the course. Since I have begun integrating the course structure on the syllabus and the request for comments, I have noticed more focused and more useful comments. Not always more positive ones, but ones that better serve the goal of course improvement for me post-tenure.