This is a great question. One interesting component of the evaluations
at my current school is that in order for the evaluations to be
considered by the school when it comes to hiring, firing, tenuring, or
having conversations with professors about their performance, the
evaluations must be signed by the student filling them out. Otherwise,
the professor reads the evaluations him or herself and can choose
whether or not to take them into account.
I think requiring signatures prevents students from writing hurtful and inaccurate representations of the professor, but at my school, many students will have the same professor for years. As a result, students do not dare to give honest evaluations because they fear that the professors will hold it against them in future classes. I know that this personally affected how I wrote an evaluation of my French professor, who was often sarcastic in an unfunny way and publicly humiliated her students. I didn't write how I felt about her because I had to take the next French course with her and was worried that she would hold the evaluation against me. In my opinion, the signature requirement was meant well but should be removed.
Students absolutely have the right to grade their professors and their evaluations should be taken into account. College costs a ridiculous amount of money, and students need to get what they paid for as well as receive an education that adequately prepares them for their future careers. If professors are not providing a strong education, then they deserve to get feedback on how to improve their courses.
However, I know from experience that students can also blame professors for failing to teach them when in reality the students didn't put in the time and effort necessary to succeed. One of my friends has skipped at least six psychology classes but blames the professor for not teaching her the material; whose fault is that? For this reason, I think student evaluations should be taken seriously, but evaluations that stand out as being negative in a sea of positive evaluations should be taken less seriously.
I think requiring signatures prevents students from writing hurtful and inaccurate representations of the professor, but at my school, many students will have the same professor for years. As a result, students do not dare to give honest evaluations because they fear that the professors will hold it against them in future classes. I know that this personally affected how I wrote an evaluation of my French professor, who was often sarcastic in an unfunny way and publicly humiliated her students. I didn't write how I felt about her because I had to take the next French course with her and was worried that she would hold the evaluation against me. In my opinion, the signature requirement was meant well but should be removed.
Students absolutely have the right to grade their professors and their evaluations should be taken into account. College costs a ridiculous amount of money, and students need to get what they paid for as well as receive an education that adequately prepares them for their future careers. If professors are not providing a strong education, then they deserve to get feedback on how to improve their courses.
However, I know from experience that students can also blame professors for failing to teach them when in reality the students didn't put in the time and effort necessary to succeed. One of my friends has skipped at least six psychology classes but blames the professor for not teaching her the material; whose fault is that? For this reason, I think student evaluations should be taken seriously, but evaluations that stand out as being negative in a sea of positive evaluations should be taken less seriously.
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