The purpose of this new SEDA Special is to extend discussion on student evaluation of teaching (SET) beyond its primary function of performance management, to explore some of the ways in which it can, and should, support the quality enhancement agenda in relation to learning and teaching. Structured in three parts, it discusses methods for developing module questionnaires through augmented models in order to better understand their results; explores alternative SET methods that might be more effective in bringing about positive changes to the learning experience; and considers ways to engage students more productively and actively with enhanced module evaluation. Each section presents a series of case studies drawn both from the UK and, for breadth, internationally, offered here not with the intention of being exhaustive but rather to provide some illustration of the rich work being undertaken, so as to enable replication in parallel institutional and disciplinary contexts in the hope that others will follow their lead.