Student Evals Are Given More Respect Than They Should

When it comes to evaluating their college professors, students’ opinions are sometimes given more respect than is good for their education. by Warren Treadgold At most universities today, undergraduate and graduate teaching is judged primarily or even exclusively on the basis of teaching evaluations written by a professor’s students. This system invites corruption, and results in it. A professor who receives many unfavorable student evaluations is probably doing something wrong, but a professor who receives many favorable evaluations may not be a good teacher at all. Many candid student evaluations appear on the nationwide website RateMyProfessors.com, which includes ratings only from […]