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Re: Advice for Tina and other rookies...



My experience is that student evaluation is recent -- I first met it when (I think)
SLATE started it at Berkeley, unofficially. Later it became common officially.

I think it is invalid for the reasons below.

I suggest keeping it, but performing it ONE of more years after completing the course.

bc




I'm wondering now if the problem of grade inflation (or at least the onset
of such) isn't tied to the extensive use of student course evaluations in
faculty evaluations. I'm sure this is not a new thought. I can't remember
seeing such an evaluation until I was into graduate school (early 70s), and
even at that point, I'm not sure they were a serious component in decisions
of retention, tenure, and promotion. Once being popular was more important
than be effective, then grades started to rise.
Rick

**********************************************
Richard W. Tarara
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
rtarara@saintmarys.edu

and

Michael Edmiston wrote:

"A popular professor and a good professor are not necessarily the same
thing. Nineteen year old students are not often able to tell the
difference. Therefore I take teaching evaluations seriously, but not too
damn seriously."

Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D. Phone/voice-mail: 419-358-3270
Professor of Chemistry & Physics FAX: 419-358-3323
Chairman, Science Department E-Mail edmiston@bluffton.edu
Bluffton College
280 West College Avenue
Bluffton, OH 45817