Rating your professor may be a solid idea

July 10, 10:43 AMCollege ExaminerAndrew Lambert

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Don't let your faculty hide behind their books

As your summer speeds into the start of Fall Semester, I encourage you to check out Rate My Professor.   This website has been growing in popularity, and in many universities, finally been given some serious respect.

This website allows students to give another assessment of the faculty once the semester closes.  It has become a tool to help students decide not only what section, of a class, to take, but also which professor to take.

What was once seen as a simple place to rant, the website is now checked by faculty, the administrators, and even incoming freshman students.

Your review should be concise and fair.  If you really thought the faculty was bad, then say so.  If they were just OK, say that.  Don't write long rants about every little thing you did not like.  That takes away from an honest assessment of the class and faculty.

How do you know if professor is rated fairly?  Take two things into consideration.  First off, look at Overall Quality.  That takes into account the rating of any posting, and gives you an overall look.  It's based off a 5-point system, and should tell you what you you're getting into.

Secondly, review all the comments.  Don't stop at just the first few.  Make sure you have a decent balance of good to bad, which should ultimately tell you that the professor is doing something right.  It also tells you that the professor is fair down the line.  If you have too many "good" statements, too many "bad" statements, or not a good sampling, be weary.

Too much "good" might result in a disappointment, as the faculty might have been told to change their grading policies in the summer.  Too many "bad" might represent a faculty who doesn't care about the students, or simply doesn't have the ability to lecture on that material.  In both of these cases, I would suggest searching other sources. This might include friends, family, or even setting up an appointment with that faculty member to see if you are going to mesh.

Since I no longer teach at Penn State, I am happy to share some student reviews that are well over a year old.  Take a look at rating system, as well as, the comments.  I believe many students went away learning something, and hopefully retained the hard work ethic I tried to instill in my classes.