Do you have confidence that these ratings will be taken seriously? U of M students have mixed feelings when it comes to the 29th question of the Student-Instructional Rating System (SIRS).
"We may put the way we feel about how they (professors) teach, but they're not gonna change the way they are teaching," said freshman journalism major Victoria Killbrew.
"It's just one class, one semester, one student," she said.Before their final exams, students complete SIRS to evaluate their courses and give their professors a final grade.
The two-sided scantron sheet consists of 34 questions and a free response section, where students can compliment or criticize faculty members.
Undergraduates like Michael Flanagan, junior communications major, believe these surveys allow students to make a statement.
"I would think if there was a bad teacher, it would reflect in the student surveys," Flanagan said. "I think most students will be thoughtful and honest, even if they are kind of annoyed."
Professors still encourage their students to provide feedback at the end of semester.
"I do try to incorporate them," said Arwin Smallwood, associate African-American history professor. "You may have one or two that are critical. If they are relevant, I try to act on them."
Geography professor Hsiang-te Kung said he wants to challenge his students, but he does not want them to feel intimidated. Kung, a U of M faculty member for 23 years, believes students should feel that their suggestions are taken seriously, but they are not always feasible.
"It is give and take," Kung said. "Hopefully, we will find the best way to meet the standards of the students and the course requirements."After the surveys have been scanned, the final results and reports of the faculty member's performance are posted on the Internet. Only the faculty member and the departmental chair have access to that information.
Michael Hamrick, chairman of health and sports sciences, believes that all chairs pay close attention to these reports.
"As a chair, I look for patterns," Hamrick said. "Whatever the categories are, such as organization, I look at the high spots and low spots."
Hamrick said the system is helpful because it allows a faculty member to compare themselves to other faculty members who teach the same course.
"We will know if there's a pattern of low scores, or if he (faculty member) is lower than his peers," he said.
Deans and departmental chairs use the summaries of the course surveys mostly during annual spring evaluations and the tenure or promotion process.
Ernest Rakow, associate dean for administration and graduate studies in the College of Education, said the effect of students' comments depends on the role of the professor.
"If a professor has one course per year, student evaluations play a much smaller role," said Rakow.
All SIRS evaluation forms have to be turned in to computer services by Dec. 20.
