How Am I Doing?

Like it or hate it, ratemyprofessors.com is the go to site for many students as a way to screen potential teachers.  Based on ratings posted on the site, students rely on other students’ opinions and experiences to make decisions about whether or not to enroll in our classes.  While there is, of course, always the possibility that a student might post something negative about a professor out of spite, it seems more likely that students believe providing an honest assessment about a teacher might help other students.  After all, why post a good review if not to encourage other students to take a class with a favorably rated professor?   

I finally made it to ratemyprofessors.com last semester.  Although there are only three reviews from the same class, each one rates me positively.  If I were a student reading these reviews, I would want to take a class with Professor D’Ascoli.  Apparently my class was enjoyable, and I am funny and helpful.  Of course, three students’ opinions hardly represent a fair sampling; formal student evaluations provide a broader perspective.  Unfortunately, students are not required to complete the online evaluations, so it’s virtually impossible to get a full perspective. 

Administrators obviously review formal student evaluations of teachers.  But do they ever look at reviews posted on ratemyprofessors.com?  As I perused the poor reviews of a colleague, I found myself wondering whether anyone other than students had read these reviews.  And what about the teacher?  What had she thought while reading students’ comments that described her as spiteful, rude, and unpleasant?  Perhaps she had the good sense to avoid the site altogether.  On the other hand, perhaps she dismissed the ratings as rants posted by dissatisfied students.

I think if students are willing to be honest by providing genuine feedback that a teacher can use to improve, then it makes sense to encourage them to do so.  As a writing teacher I provide students with feedback all the time, and it’s not all good.  But I’d be a poor teacher if I only praised their writing and failed to suggest how they might actually make their writing better.  I’d like to offer my students the opportunity to rate a specific aspect of my teaching, such as my ability to communicate effectively so that a student understands the goals of an assignment and sees where he or she has either met or failed to meet those goals.  This is useful information.

Ed Koch was noted for asking his constituency, “How am I doing?”  No doubt he hoped he was doing well and if not, they’d let him know.  I think it’s a fair question to pose to students.  Sure, there are those who might be taken aback by the question and wouldn’t answer honestly for fear of reprisal.  There are others, however, who would relish the opportunity to engage in such a dialogue.  Sometimes they just want to be given an opportunity to be heard.  If this can result in a better learning experience, then why not listen?  Feedback beats ratings any day.