OUR VIEWS Consensus Opinion

We encourage faculty and administrators to make midterm course evaluations an Institute priority.

Just as students get a midterm progress report, so too should faculty members. Every professors should ask their students three questions: what am I doing right, what am I doing wrong and what would you like to see more of? This admittedly small step achieves two things. First, it allows professors to fine-tune their teaching style to suite the unique dynamic of an individual class. Second, it gives students a feeling of empowerment and the chance to offer meaningful, constructive criticism.

Since end-of-term course evaluations are one of the measures used to determine tenure status, faculty members would find it advantageous to read unofficial student reviews earlier. This way it would give professors a chance to bring up their marks, while improving our educational experience. These evaluations would also be a small step on the road toward improved academic rankings, since professors’ performances and perceptions of approachability play a key role in national rankings.