It’s like “trying to explain Funyuns,” writes one student about the Media Archeology course taught by UW-Milwaukee film professor Vicki Callahan. “You’re not really sure what you’re eating, or even why, and even more importantly if it’s even doing anything for you.”
Welcome to RateMyProfessors.com, where the profs get graded by the students.
Started in 1999 by San Jose State student John Swapceinski (and purchased by mtvU in January 2007 ), the site lets students rank professors from more than 1,000 schools (including 12 in this metro area) from one to five for easiness, helpfulness, clarity and overall quality.
Adding a little spice, students can vote for most attractive professors by clicking on a chili pepper, increasing the “Hotness Total.” This option, coupled with the ability to post pictures of professors, has caused controversy. Rob Grover, president of the UWM Student Association, calls it fun. But over at more strait-laced Marquette University, they’re dubious. “That’s not a classy option for a Web site,” sniffs Brock Banks, student government president.
Banks and his fellow student government members prefer the pepperless
PickAProf.com , which coolly censors snarky comments, offers textbook exchanges, and even lets students write survey questions about a class. But RateMyProfessors has still attracted enough students to gain ratings of more than 560 MU professors.
“An extremely nice man and a terrific lecturer,” one student writes about Stephen Beall, associate professor of foreign languages and literature at Marquette. But just a bit tough. “Will not accept late work unless you’re dead and even then you better have a note.”
As for Richard Zevitz, associate professor of criminology and law studies, “this guy looks like Snake from Metal Gear Solid.” But he’s pretty good for someone resembling a video game character. “Definitely take him if you are considering law.” Alas, another student offers a failing grade for Prof. Snake: “ I’ve heard more interesting elevator music.”
Then there’s MU political science professor John McAdams: “Watch out for the bottom button on his dress shirts,” writes a student, “it’s under a lot of strain, and may attack those sitting too close.”
Though the comments make RateMyProfessors entertaining, are they useful?
User anonymity can shield students with an ax to grind or even critics who aren’t students at all. And the number of reviewers for most professors is small and could represent an extreme minority.
But Joette Rockow, professor of journalism and one of the top-ranked UWM professors on RateMyProfessor, says she’s made changes in her style after reading the critiques. “It is much of the same feedback as formal evaluations. It’s another data point.”
But Michelle Mynlieff, a biology professor who ranks among the lowest at Marquette, dismisses the site’s relevance: “I’m not here to make friends with students but to teach them.”
