College Professor Ratings Website

Are Teacher Evaluation Sites Like RateMyProfessors.com a Good Idea?

May 20, 2007 Naomi Rockler-Gladen

Should students be able to rate their professors anonymously on teacher evaluation websites? Here are some arguments for and against these sites.

Do you have something to say about a professor? Until recently, one of the only ways students could commend or complain about an instructor was through the paper teacher evaluations that get passed out at the end of every semester. Today, students can post anonymous ratings of professors on websites such as RateMyProfessors.com.

Are these websites a good idea? Do they help students? Are they an invasion of privacy? Here are some arguments that have been made for and against these websites.

Arguments in favor of professor evaluation websites:

• These sites are an easy way to communicate valuable information to fellow students about professors. This information can help students make an educated decision when they register for classes.
• Professors are in a position of power, and students are not. This is one way that students can fight back against bad professors who abuse their power, and also offer positive feedback about good professors.
• These websites hold professors more accountable. Nobody wants negative feedback written about them on the web, so professors might think twice about how they are teaching their classes. They may be less likely to try to indoctrinate their students.
• The anonymity may encourage students to evaluate professors more honestly. Sure, traditional teacher evaluations are anonymous too, but professors can sometimes recognize handwriting or otherwise identify a student.
• As these sites become more popular, more evaluations are available about each professor. This gives students a better idea about how the professor is perceived in general, as opposed to how the professor is perceived by one or two students.

Arguments against professor evaluation websites:

• Some feel this is an invasion of privacy. Sure, professors have the power to grade their students every semester-- but they don't have the power to post those grades on the web for anyone in the world to see. Imagine if you had a bad day at your job and a customer posted negative comments about you on the web. Is this fair?
• These evaluations are not necessarily accurate. Students may be more likely to post if they have either a very positive or very negative experience with a professor.
• While many (and perhaps most) students post rational evaluations on these websites, some students use these sites as revenge for a bad grade and an easy opportunity to flame a professor. This is not helpful to students, who aren't getting an accurate review of a professor, and it's certainly not helpful to the professor.
• There's no guarantee that the evaluations are from students. Anyone who might be angry at the professor-- a jealous colleague, an ex-wife, a grounded son-- can post comments and pretend to be a student.
• These sites are not taken seriously by anyone who makes a difference in education. If you want your opinion about a professor to matter, take the time to contact the department or the dean.
• Professors have feelings too. How would you feel if someone posted scathing comments about you on the web?

The copyright of the article College Professor Ratings Website in Campus Life is owned by Naomi Rockler-Gladen. Permission to republish College Professor Ratings Website in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Is online feedback helpful for the classroom?

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Aug 17, 2008 1:46 PM

Guest :

These sites are most valuable to students who are trying to decide who's section to take. Not all of the professors are rated and the ratings are most often very passionate, so it is like any other internet resource you must weigh the information you gain from the site. Until the colleges find a way to let students check out the professors prior to registering for class I think it is an incredible tool. As a past professional in the hospitality industry I think that instructors need to remember that a complaint is a gift, it can help you grow and make positive changes that benefit both themselves and the students. Maybe they should check the postings sometime. If they don't like the negative comments they need to reflect on what they are doing in class that may have created this. It doesn't benefit anyone when the instructor is not fair, clear, and approachable.

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