Professors share their opinions of the website Ratemyprofessor.com
It’s almost that time of year again when college students browse for classes and pick courses for the fall semester. Along with securing classes that start in the late morning, deciding which courses to take and getting a spot in a fast-filling required course is no easy task. On top of this, there is that quest to find the “best” professors.
That quest to find professors that make accounting, math or even science exciting; that quest to find professors that can hold exciting and enlightening discussions with the class.
Rate My Professor is a website where students post anonymous reviews of their professors for the benefit of future students.
On the website, the category “Easiness” is used by students to describe how easy the class was to them. One would mean the class was very difficult, while a five would mean the class is very easy.
“Some students learn differently than others. Somebody may not like a certain teaching style while others may be okay with that style,” said Fresno City College math professor Nate Allen, who received 11 reviews.
The ‘Hot’ category is for fun. It is the category where students rate how attractive they find the professor to be. A chili pepper that is located right next to the professor’s name would mean that they are ‘hot.’
“I believe it’s silly,” said FCC history instructor Paul Gilmore, who received 107 reviews. “I want people who will be interested in the class, and the energy that I bring in my lectures. That’s the kind of attraction I want to have.”
Allen also commented on the topic.
“It’s flattering but it has nothing to do with our teaching skills,” he said.
The “Clarity” category is used by students to describe how clearly information is presented in class by the teacher, and how it is tested. If there is a high “clarity” rating, it means information is given in a clear and precise manner. If there is a low “clarity” level, it may mean the information is presented too quickly and not enough time is given to ensure all the students understand the concepts.
“As a math professor, a majority of students hate math so that’s another reason why we have to be clear and helpful to the students,” said FCC instructor Jeremy Brandl, who received 12 reviews. “A majority of students will need that extra clarity to feel comfortable with the subject.”
Lastly, the “Helpfulness” category is used by students to describe how helpful the teacher is when approached with a question. The higher the rating, the more likely the teacher will be available to help students understand the class material. A low rating may mean the professor doesn’t make a great effort to communicate with the student.
The user’s comments are given by the students themselves. Just remember, not all comments about teachers are helpful.
“There is absolutely no scientific validity behind this website,” said Gilmore.
RateMyProfessor.com may be a tool that some students find helpful but students should keep in mind that the sample of students on the website may only represent a small portion of students.
“The students who were unhappy will probably take the time to write something on the site and the students who were really happy will also take the time to write something as well,” said FCC math professor, Laurel Blackerby-Slater, who received 45 reviews. “But then that middle group of students you won’t hear from. So I feel like the site will often portray the extreme opinions.”
