Professor evaluations not helping profs, students
Every semester, students are subject to filling out evaluations of professors. Unfortunately, the process isn’t as effective as it could be. The process is relatively straightforward. Students receive a page-long questionnaire regarding a professor’s performance in class during a particular semester. The professors must leave the room to ensure the reviews are kept confidential. From here, evaluations are taken to Academic Affairs, where they are processed and developed into reports. Teachers see these evaluations after final grades are turned in. This process seems like it should be simple enough. If a professor gets poor reviews, the professor no longer teaches that class. But that’s not how it works. According to the story about professor evaluations on Page 1, David Brailow, vice president of academic affairs, said the student evaluations are not used "to hammer someone." Student evaluations only play a small part in the grand scheme of things. Peer evaluations, dean evaluations and portfolio assessments are all used in conjunction with student evaluations to come to a decision. Brailow said other information – such as how long the professor has been here or the course being taught – also play into the decision. This explains why students do not care about evaluations. It’s obvious in the way some students finish evaluations within seconds of being handed the evaluation. This isn’t helpful for professors, which means it isn’t helpful for students, either. Student evaluations need to be given more weight in overall evaluation of professors. When deans or other professors come into a classroom for an evaluation, that gives them one glimpse into the day in the life of the classroom experience. The students are with the professor for a far longer time; they will know what the teaching and learning experience is really like. But the first step has to come from the students. If students gave more thought to professor evaluations, more weight could be assigned to them. This would help improve the quality of not only the professors we put into the classroom, but also the quality of the education we receive in return.
