Low response rate and quality are common challenges when administrating student evaluations of teaching (SETs). This study aimed to increase SET response rate and quality by investigating a widely recommended strategy to overcome an underlying reason for students' non-responsiveness, namely the lack of transparency about SET processes. In Study 1, we tested first-year students' faith in SET before and after watching an animation that illustrated the SET process. Study 2 consisted of a quasi-experiment in an authentic setting among third-year students in which faith in SET, response rates and response quality were compared between students who were shown the animation versus a control group. Results showed that using an animation to increase transparency of SET processes increased students' faith in SET in both Study (d = 0.60), and Study 2 (d = 0.29). The response rate on the Likert-scale questions in end-of-course surveys increased after the animation (Cramer's V = 0.16), but no significant effects were found on response rates and quality on the open questions in the same survey (all p's > 0.05). Further research and discussion are needed on how, and which, feasible interventions can help to improve students' SET participation, such as offering guidance on how to provide feedback.