Reputation Management Hits Academia

It wasn’t all that long ago that I was a college student.  (No, really!  It wasn’t!)  After talking with some recent grads, my time on campus feels like it was eons ago.  When I was a student, choosing a professor for a class was a game of roulette.  Would this one grade based on attendance?  Does that one write impassable exams?  Will the other one be a better match with my personality?  Unless you were lucky enough to know someone who’d experienced a particular professor’s teaching style, it was anyone’s guess.

Today’s tech-savvy students have a much better method for selecting classes.  Enter Rate My Professors –a rating site that allows students to choose a class based on factors such as how easy or helpful a professor is, whether they require attendance, and how interesting their lectures are.  Comments from past students give insight on personality and teaching style, allowing students to better match a class to their interests and learning style.  Yes, I’m sure there are some ratings that are embellished or tarnished based on the grade a student received, but overall, I hear this site is extremely helpful and accurate in picking an instructor for a class.  The site also gives the professors a voice, allowing them to fire back responses to reviews.

A quick search on a few of my favorite (and not so favorite) instructors revealed that most of my opinions were on point with what current students are saying.  Based on my highly scientific research, I’d say that this site is doing a good job of setting expectations for students.

Kids these days have it so good, I tell ya…