2008 Woodie Awards
Professor ratings help, hurt perception at school
Vanessa White
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: FUSE
Originally published: 11/29/07 at 6:41 PM EST
Last update: 11/29/07 at 6:39 PM EST
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"Just about the best teacher I have ever had!"
"This class is so extremely hard!"
"Difficult class with tons of reading!"
Do you have a professor you wish to recommend or warn others against?
Visit ratemyprofessors.com and share your thoughts on your favorite/least favorite teachers on campus.
"It's not a happy joy ride," Stuart Voss, a professor at Plattsburgh State said.
Voss teaches introduction to Latin American studies, Model Organization of American States courses, an upper level Latin american course and a junior seminar for history course.
"When you've taught as long as I have, you know what criticism is and what's supportive," Voss said. "There's not much you can do, you can't teach everyone."
Plenty of people access the Web site and write nasty comments about teachers out of retaliation for a bad grade or heavy course load.
Usually the positive feedback is overlooked because the negativity of most comments is overwhelming.
"Usually, it's just people that are bitter with teachers," student Caitlin Dougher said.
Imagine being a professor, just starting your teaching career. You want to be popular and gain the respect of your students, yet you cannot please everyone.
Then you hear about ratemyprofessors.com.
Would you be interested enough to take a peek, or would the possibility of sideways comments intimidate you?
"For young professors, it's more difficult starting out," Voss said.
"It's an occasion for those with negative views. The student is making judgments from the learner's side, like a consumer with a car. The consumer can experience the vehicle but they don't know what goes into making that car."
Do teachers take advice from these comments or simply brush them off and keep it moving?
"Most of them are personality comments, not suggestions on how to improve," Voss said. "I'd rather use department evaluations, that way I know where criticism lies."
"This class is so extremely hard!"
"Difficult class with tons of reading!"
Do you have a professor you wish to recommend or warn others against?
Visit ratemyprofessors.com and share your thoughts on your favorite/least favorite teachers on campus.
"It's not a happy joy ride," Stuart Voss, a professor at Plattsburgh State said.
Voss teaches introduction to Latin American studies, Model Organization of American States courses, an upper level Latin american course and a junior seminar for history course.
"When you've taught as long as I have, you know what criticism is and what's supportive," Voss said. "There's not much you can do, you can't teach everyone."
Plenty of people access the Web site and write nasty comments about teachers out of retaliation for a bad grade or heavy course load.
Usually the positive feedback is overlooked because the negativity of most comments is overwhelming.
"Usually, it's just people that are bitter with teachers," student Caitlin Dougher said.
Imagine being a professor, just starting your teaching career. You want to be popular and gain the respect of your students, yet you cannot please everyone.
Then you hear about ratemyprofessors.com.
Would you be interested enough to take a peek, or would the possibility of sideways comments intimidate you?
"For young professors, it's more difficult starting out," Voss said.
"It's an occasion for those with negative views. The student is making judgments from the learner's side, like a consumer with a car. The consumer can experience the vehicle but they don't know what goes into making that car."
Do teachers take advice from these comments or simply brush them off and keep it moving?
"Most of them are personality comments, not suggestions on how to improve," Voss said. "I'd rather use department evaluations, that way I know where criticism lies."
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