« Appropriate Classroom Evaluations | Conversations at DSI »
November 27, 2005
Evaluation Blackmail
The darkest phenomenon to arise from our conversations at DSI concerned student evaluations. For a variety of reasons (keep the classes full, gain majors, show empathy to students, respond to anxious parents, etc.) administrations are placing increasing emphasis on student evaluations. Professors not on the tenure track who work on a year-to-year contract fear low evaluations mean loss of employment. Those on the tenure track fear low evaluations lead to a negative tenure decisions.
Such evaluation pressure makes it difficult for professors to take a principled stand in the classroom. Roy Dejoie at Purdue applies a twenty percent penalty to late work -- and he states this policy clearly in the syllabus as well as frequently throughout the term. In spite of this, one student evaluated him poorly and stated, on the evaluation form, that he did so because he was penalized for his late project. Other, similarly depressing stories were told by professors who have been punished for applying high standards in their classes.
I'm wondering: Who could be a good parent if their children filled out an evaluation form on their performance every 4 months? And suppose one's economic future depended on the results?
Posted by DavidK at November 27, 2005 10:29 AM | Permalink