Recent research (1978-1982) on student evaluations of teaching is reviewed, including: influence of background variables pertaining to the student, the teacher, and the learning environment; the dimensions of the teaching being evaluated; the validity of students' evaluations; the "Doctor Fox" effect and its implications for validity; the reliability, stability, generalizability, and usefulness of students' evaluations; and the construction and selection of evaluation questionnaires. Dimensions of teaching that students evaluate may include: skill, rapport, assignments, breadth of coverage, tests and grading, group interaction, enthusiasm, and organization. The extent to which students' evaluations of faculty correlate with variables thought to reflect effective teaching may be addressed by considering the following criteria: student achievement, instructor self-evaluations, and improved student attitudes toward the subject. A number of studies have examined the "Doctor Fox" effect: the possibility that student assessments of teacher effectiveness are more a function of an instructor's wit and personality than of the educational content of the lecture. It is concluded that the research indicates that (1) evaluations are not significantly influenced by background variables, and are valid, reliable, stable, generalizable, and useful, and (2) properly constructed evaluation questionnaires assess multiple dimensions of the instructional process. (SW)