Susan wrote:
> Rick- points well taken !
> I do however find it frustrating to note that teacher evaluations and
> course difficulty are negatively correlated - I don't have the
> citation any more - but sometimes it seems that the way to get good
> evaluations is to have an easy class.
Unfortunately, that's often the case.
On the positive side, most such evaluations stress the ease of obtaining
a high score, which would keep administrators from viewing them as
positively.
Many students _do_ equate an easy 4.0 with a great class--but the really
good students (the ones we all WANT in our classes) have a very different
perspective on the matter. Certainly a professor who makes it virtually
impossible to obtain a 4.0 should be rated on that (I know at least one
psychology professor who tells his classes it is his policy NEVER to award
more than one 4.0 in a given class, regardless of the work done--and he
means it), but the instructor who makes good grades attainable provided
the student puts in the necessary effort is often among those who receive
the most thoughtful and beneficial reviews.
> I've heard of someone whose admitted technigue to get the best teaching
> evluations is to pick the WORST book s/he can find and assign it as the
> text, then use the "good" ones to write the lectures - by
> comparison s/he seems fascinating.
We _do_ have some "winners" in our profession, don't we? :(
Rick
