As students peruse the new Course Offering Directory released today, they can expect to glean positive teacher recommendations when they check RateMyProfessors.com, since the Web site ranked University faculty 15th in the country.
Faculty Senate Chair Ricardo Padron was pleased and not surprised that the University was rated so highly, because "there is a lot of good teaching here."
The popular Web site, which is owned by MTV, is the largest online professor ranking site for universities. The site boasts "more than 7.5 million student-generated ratings of over one million college professors," according to Jason Rzepka, head of communications for mtvU.
Similar student evaluations have been more difficult to gather within the University as response rates have been lower than desired. Padron said he was pleased with the University's electronic evaluations, but that "there needs to be some kind of mechanism that requires students to evaluate their teachers [because] if you can't get 100 percent participation, it's hard to get accurate results."
Each year RateMyProfessor.com recognizes collegiate faculty in a variety of categories, including "highest rated professors," "schools with highest rated professors," "standout professors" and "hottest professors."
Despite standards set forth by the Web site in determining its rankings, critics have described the system as unreliable.
"I don't find rating to be a very credible source," Padron said. "Our rule when we do course evaluations is that they are really only meaningful when you get a high response rate ... because RateMyProfessor.com is a voluntary site, you don't have a dependable sample."
In response to criticism, RateMyProfessor.com "launched a 'Professors Rebuttal' feature ... enabling every professor rated on the site to address how his or her teaching ability has been characterized by students," Rzepka said.
Brigham Young University earned first place for the school with the highest rated professors for 2007. Christopher Newport University, the College of William & Mary, and James Madison University are three other Virginia schools also ranked in the top 15.
Read More
Winsome Earle-Sears talks higher education in first U.Va. event of the campaign
By Ford McCracken | 15 hours agoA Jamaican immigrant and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Earle-Sears is the first female lieutenant governor of Virginia,
U.Va.'s Earth Day Eco-Fair 2025 spotlights sustainability advocacy
By Leigh Bailey | 16 hours agoStudents from Contracted Independent Organizations and University Office of Sustainability leadership programs each shared their unique perspectives about sustainability advocacy on Grounds.
Student Council votes to relocate Hereford orchard and basketball hoop
By Lauren Seeliger | YesterdayStudent Council passed a resolution Tuesday to relocate the orchard and basketball hoop of Hereford Residential College due to construction in the surrounding area.
