BUZZ
The evaluations students give their professors don’t mean much, unless one can see the grades and grade distributions alongside them, argues professor John Chalberg of Normandale Community College:
All students are consumers. They might not all deserve an A, but they do deserve the best and most demanding courses their instructors can provide. If they’re shopping for something other than that, they’re free to mention this in their evaluations — and to shop elsewhere. In any case, it only stands to reason that every student-consumer should know as much as possible about what he or she might be getting into before registering for a class…
Student evaluations ought to be viewed in a larger context. If published, these evaluations ought to include the grade received by the student (and maybe the grade he or she expected). Attempts also ought to be made to obtain evaluations from alumni five or 10 or 20 years down the road.
Colleges should also publish the grade distribution for each class, and include it on transcripts, to increase their transparency for potential employers or for grad and professional school admissions committees. They might like to know not just a student’s grade in a particular course, but the percentage of the class that received that particular grade. An A by its lonesome is one thing. An A with a percentage number beside it might be quite another…
Read more at the Star Tribune.
(Image: Govt.Flickr)
