While ratemyprofessor.com is a helpful online tool when selecting next semester's teachers, students at BYU now have an online evaluation system of their own.

In addition to basic reasons like assessing possible teacher and class improvements, the teacher evaluations BYU students fill out at the end of every semester are online this fall to help them decide which teachers are best for them.

Jeffrey D. Keith, associate academic vice president, said the evaluations are made available online to aide students with the registration process.

"There are other commercial Web sites that have become popular for students to learn more about different BYU professors, but the information available on those sites is not necessarily related to learning," Keith said. "In April, when we released the ratings, we encouraged faculty to 'discuss the meaning of the questions with your students.'"

On an eight-point scale, students can see how teachers are doing in a few categories: amount learned, materials and activities, intellectual skills developed and interest in students.

The scores are based on the average of scores given by students when they evaluate professors at the end of the semester.

Faculty is asked to discuss the meaning of survey questions with their students, Keith said, including terminology and understanding concepts like critical thinking, analytical reasoning and integrating knowledge.

"This could lead to important discussions that both improve their learning and provide an opportunity for teachers to help them be more invested in completing student ratings," Keith said.

J. Spencer Fluhman, a religion professor who teaches church history, said the online survey system is equipped with pros and cons.

"I'm all for students given power in the market place of higher education," Fluhman said. "It makes me leery though, because some of my best teachers were not popular ones. Students should keep in mind that this is only one form of evaluation among many."

The evaluations are always submitted confidentially and teachers never see the names of students who score them. Likewise, the Online Student Survey shows scales and numbers that are not attributed to specific students.

The online evaluations will be updated at the end of every semester and students can look forward to friendly reminders about access to the evaluation results, along with notifications of filling out teacher evaluations later this semester.



Copyright Brigham Young University 27 Oct 2008