I'm guessing the consternation comes from having the information potentially broadcast worldwide- students have always shared information on professors- it's just that now, instead of being limited to campus, it's available everywhere, to anyone. For example, I'm not sure that my cousin who teaches Economics on the other side of the country would like it widely known that he reads verbatim from his PowerPoint slides and is considered "a solid B for average effort" grader.
Yes--and that is good, if it is offset by other modes of review for a (potentially) BALANCED snapshot of a professor's career...
If my Department Chair is lazy (or overworked, as so many are) what is to prevent him or her to look ONLY at student evaluations?
Trouble is, I can't think of a better way, except blinded exit interviews, which would be prohibitively costly and tiresome.
I exist to SERVE my students, and there ARE some SHITS out there, but I feel the "Hottie Index" could be stricken, and make more room for the student to explain his or her reactions, not just "is this an easy 'A' class..."
Good ol' Hartmut.
He was quite a character.
I don't think I would take this too seriously; I would only consider going on it if I really had an axe to grind myself.
I wouldn't worry about it Dizzy. Ratemyprofessor.com just like Pick-A-Prof are sites geered specifically to help students evaluate what professors they should register for, it's only meant to aid the students so there's less withdrawal and dropping of classes at the beginning of the semester and what not. No administration in their right mind would use these evaluations as a tool for evaluating their faculty.
I've just finished running a series of focus groups for students at UniSA (South Australia). Students spoke out in complete anonymity
My history lecturer at junior college is rated exactly how I would have rated him (possibly including the hotness rating, but let's not go there). I looked at some of my other lecturers/professors and the ratings seem fair; I didn't see a single undeserved comment.
What I want to know is how come the chilli peppers I give don't seem to register?
Actually, I've only ever used this site to seek out professors I've liked over the years, and up their scores. And give them chilli peppers, of course. I would never dream of actually choosing a course this way. But then again, I only have one more term, and I'm done course work for life, until I start teaching.
As for accuracy - there is plenty of axe grinding here. Mostly from students of average ability who didn't realise university was about getting an education. The entertaining profs are rated high, quieter but potentially better teachers slagged for being tough, or ignored. But so goes the fate of all student evaluations. Just be thankful that in education no one with sense thinks the customer is always right.
Oh. My. God. This site is so offensively funny. You really can't take it seriously. I went to Rugters, and perused my old professors and advisors. Some of the comments are hilarious! Please let me share:
"If you only had 6 months to live: Take his class because every second feels like an eternity!!!!"
har.
"lectures can get pretty dull, but you'll be too distracted by his gorgeous light eyes to care. He
Well, I'm just impressed that they have my (future) University on this site, I'll definetly be checking back next fall when I register for classes, so that I'll already know who to avoid.
Genevieve, speaking as someone who graduated not long ago from a Canadian university, please don't use this site. Sure, talk to other students, and be aware that there are professors who you will not click with, but there are much better guides than this site. Some university student councils publish course evaluations, which actually try to get a good percentage of responses before reporting, so you don't hear from just one crank. I was serious about the reviews being dominated by axe grinding - several very good professors at my university had bad reviews on this site, because of cranks.
jb--
thank you for your quick and cogent response--it IS insidious and that is why I'm concerned enough to post it here.
Genevieve--it would be foolish not to research your classes, but please pick a responsible guide to balance out the gossip and white noise that will surely drench you come registration time. You are going to have a fantastic adventure.
to all-- Yes I know I sound like your Daddy but this is important. Now eat yer greens and explain this whole file-sharing thing to me again, wouldja?
Well, it's sort of implicit in my comment upthread, but while I was expressing confidence in the young, praising their thoughtfulness und so weiter, it's important to note that I was working with a decent-sized sample, and that I moderated, or at least funnelled, their comments in writing the report. Three guys scrawling loudly to be funny on some website is not really the same bag of monkeys at all.
Oh yeah, and my friend's dad (who is a professor, obviously) was also dissed for carrying a handbag. He does carry a handbag, but it's a really useful and attractive handbag, very masculine. And not at all pertinent to his ability as a professor.
Yep-- anonymity can bring out the beast in some, but release the strength in others.
Is this a function of age? Gender?
And how is that rectifiable?
I looked up my advisor. He has no ratings and his name is misspelled.
Unless a professor is very bad or very good, the affect of the instructor at the undergraduate level is in my opinion secondary to the effective purveying of the information. Simply put, if the prof can get your through the book(s), you're OK. That does not mean don't seek out the great professors when you can, but most work at the undergraduate level is acquiring and ingesting information. Great big friggin gobs of it. When you go to grad school? THEN you start talking about things with some expertise. And then the expertise of the professor becomes that much more important.
jb, word.
Students have so many things on their mind and sometimes schooling isn't one of them. It's good for a laugh, but that's as far as I'd take it. Besides, they are posting anonomously, if they had to identify themselves, it would be a two way street at least. OTOH, what's to stop a professor from posting favourable reviews of themselves many times over under different pseudonyms. Hell, even get a thread going! That would be even more hilarious!
It's possible I suppose. I go to university and they actually encourage us to use these services. Despite that, on all the professors I've had the ratings seem about right.
In an off-topic aside, it's nice to see the font Hobo getting some work as the title font. (He's a good friend of Cooper Black, if you didn't know.)
OTOH, what's to stop a professor from posting favourable reviews of themselves many times over under different pseudonyms. Probably the fact that most professors don't give a flip about what some college students with a grudge put on some random website. Valid? Not in the least. But I must say it I HAVE seen some good reviews. Any knowledgeable student should be able to objectively look at the reviews and tell the difference between someone just holding a grudge for a teacher or someone who really explains the reasons for their like or dislike. If a review does not provide any evidence for the opinion, then don't consider it reliable, period.
The minute I start TAing, I'm going to put me up there, and give myself chilli peppers. Mmm...jalapeno, or habanero?
Is "publish or perish" no longer the prime directive in universities? My impression has been that ability to teach is not nearly as important as the ability to get grants, do research and publish results which add luster to the school. I'm not saying that there I didn't have some really good teachers, but there were who were really, really bad, but who had major clout in their departments. The majority were uninspiring and seemed to be wondering what they were doing in a room with a bunch of young whippersnappers with whom they had nothing in common. My belief they they weren't being graded on teaching skills or charisma was liberating in a way - if I was gonna learn much it had to be an active endeavor.
Have I been wrong all these years?
From what I learned a year and a half ago, it's very definitely still "publish or perish". I had a couple of professors who were seriously unimpressed with having to teach undergrads when they'd prefer to be hanging out with their learned grad students. I found it irritating, but I still learned a hell of a lot.
It still is publish or perish, to one degree or another, but it really depends on what university you are working for, and what field you're in. The job of a professor is almost always a mixed responsibility - unless you have a research only post, your teaching will be evaluated as well.
But teaching might be more or less important from university to university, because the quality of teaching has become a major strategy issue for universities - how do you convince potential undergraduates (this site is so not oriented to grads) to come to your university, especially if your school is not that prestigious? My undergraduate university, a solid, but not famous place, has expended a lot of energy on teaching quality, and highlights it as their best feature, in the hope that will attract students, particularly from the university down the road that is more well-known for its research.
Actually, they have been really sucessful - ugly buildings, awful location, but really good teaching. I'd say better on average than many more prestigious schools in Canada, or the US and the UK for that matter (Through a growing network of friends, I hear about education from all over North America and the UK, even about one or two universities in Australia and the Antipodes).
But even prestigious schools want to sell themselves to prospective students as well to research doners, and that usually means claiming to have better teaching than school X up the road. This seems especially true in the US, where the competition for students between the liberal arts colleges and the famous universities seems to have become a blood sport. I am so glad I went to undergrad in a more relaxed country.
* Apologies to the non-North Americans for using the word "school" to apply to universities. It's just so much faster to type.
Actually, to add - this site is very much all about that unappealing commercial side to higher education. Undergraduate students, paying more and more for their education, seem to be increasingly seeing themselves as customers, and sites like these no different than any product rating site. (That this site rates *people,* not products, and that good education is just not compatible with a consumer model, is another story.)
(Will try to shut up now. Thank you for your patience)
Damn, jb, that sounds like keeping up with the Jones'. My daddy is bigger than... Our professors profess bettrn' yours. Or something of that ilk.
I think it is about the research, grants, publishing and the students are imbecilic pests and burn up your time. For some, may I add, not all.
ok, for the one I was dating. Past tense. I won't tar them all with the same brush though, I wouldn't know.
I did point out the site to her and she was aghast. "Don't you dare tell my sister about this site!", she said. Hmmm, talk about compartmentalizing your life. Her own sister? Sheesh.
Go for the chipoltle, jb, hot and smokey.
Aren't all people sensitive to criticism, whether you're a professor or an artist or actor or....judge, whatever?
You Betcha.
As with many things, however---
It is all in the presentation.
Right here,
under this Anonymous post. Comfortable...
zzz...
That was posted by Dizzy before he bailed out on us and deleted his account. I still miss him.
So, Nick, if you go no further, you still did the right thing.
Or something.
Or something....
I'm on this site now. I even have a chilli pepper.
It still counts, even if I was the one who told someone to put it there.
That said, I've had my first teaching evaluations as a teaching assistant. I really like teaching, and I think I did a fairly good job - most of my evaluations were good. Except for the ones who dissed me for not being an expert in the class I was drafted without choice into teaching. And for the curriculum (chosen by the professor).
Probably the fact that most professors don't give a flip about what some college students with a grudge put on some random website. Valid? Not in the least. But I must say it I HAVE seen some good reviews. Any knowledgeable student should be able to objectively look at the reviews and tell the difference between someone just holding a grudge for a teacher or someone who really explains the reasons for their like or dislike. If a review does not provide any evidence for the opinion, then don't consider it reliable, period.
My daddy is bigger than...Our professors profess bettrn' yours. Or something of that ilk. I think it is about the research, grants, publishing and the students are imbecilic pests and burn up your time. For some, may I add, not all. ok, for the one I was dating. Past tense. I won't tar them all with the same brush though, I wouldn't know. I did point out the site to her and she was aghast. "Don't you dare tell my sister about this site!", she said. Hmmm, talk about compartmentalizing your life. Her own sister? Sheesh. Go for the chipoltle, jb, hot and smokey. Aren't all people sensitive to criticism, whether you're a professor or an artist or actor or....judge, whatever?