With increasing numbers of nontraditional students (25 years or older) enrolling in college classes, it is important for educators to understand how these students' perceptions of teaching effectiveness may differ from those of the more traditional university population. To discover the categories traditional and nontraditional students use in their evaluation of teachers, 22 traditional and 13 nontraditional students from required communication courses were asked to describe the best teacher they ever had. Content analysis of the descriptions was based on a classification system placing constructs in one of four mutually exclusive categories: psychological, teacher role, teacher student interaction, and other. Analysis revealed that nontraditional students placed more emphasis on personality and interaction dimensions and less importance on role related behaviors than did younger students. Faculty need to be informed of the different needs and expectations of the changing student population. By giving prompt, specific, and descriptive rather than evaluative feedback, teachers can help satisfy this nontraditional group's urgent need to define themselves as potentially successful students. (MM)