Student evaluation of teaching is a fundamental system for assuring teaching quality at higher education institutions (HEIs). Its establishment has provided students with a routine channel for voicing their wishes with regard to teaching and is helpful for HEIs to establish "serve the students" as the aim of their operations. Student evaluation of teaching is a recent phenomenon at China's HEIs, and a number of problems exist in practice, such as students substituting for others in making an evaluation, placing more importance on form than substance, misuse of evaluation results, and loopholes in the design of the evaluation system. We should establish a correct view of student evaluation of teaching, build up a scientific system of student evaluation of teaching, and draw on advanced experiences from abroad so as to improve the system of student evaluation of teaching and perfect the teaching quality assurance system at China's HEIs.