Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / April 17, 2009, edition 1 / Page 10
Part of The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
\ \ ^ \ i ^ i \ \ ^ 10 \A^WW.GUI LFORDIAN.COM FORUM TwHtfs lesson: Cohro ewisellons The professor pulls out a white envelope containing papers full of empty bubbles and empty spaces. Pencils are required. The profes sor leaves and the students begin writing. This is the process of course evaluations. When I first came to Guilford, I had no idea how important these evaluations are. This is true for other students as well. First-year Julia Levi-Goerlich said, 'T think it is a waste of time." According to Associate Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Physics Steve Shapiro, course evaluations are not a waste of time and figure importantly in faculty renewal, promotion, and tenure. oinapiro referred me to the fac ulty review pxococc located on the Guilford Web site. The evaluations are mentioned several times and do hold considerable weight. "The Faculty Affairs Committee (FAC) uses course evaluations and many other sources of informa tion in their deliberations," said Shapiro. I asked students whether they realized that course evaluations were used in the review process and most were surprised. Senior Zane Campbell said that he took the evaluations serious ly but wasn't aware of the FAC guidelines. He thought they were mainly for the professors' benefit. "Professors take them seriously because they feel it is important and they want to improve their teaching," said Campbell. "But now that I know that the FAC uses them in the evaluation process, I think it can really help both the professors and the school see how well they are doing." In addition to the review pro cess, professors do use the evalua tions to assess if they need to make changes in the courses. "I knew they were reasonably important, but the professors that talked with me already have ten ure," said junior Art Fulks. "They just said they actually read them for consideration for the future classes." But according to the review pro cess guidelines, professors must write a self-evaluation and part ot that io on the course sur veys. First-year Margie Farmer's com ments might require an explana tion from her professor in his self- evaluation and might raise some questions with the FAC. Farmer had a bad experience and reflected this in the evalua tion. "I needed (the professor) to show me what to do, not tell me," said Farmer. "He is the worst teacher and I wrote it all down in my evaluation and gave him all Fs." After hearing this, I asked Shapiro what happens when a student gives professors scathing ever they want and get away with it." In contrast, senior Crystal Harris believes that anonymity is best. "I think (anonymous evalua tions) are a good way for students to be honest in their opinion of their professors," said Harris. "It is always a good thing to have the ability to freely speak your mind." "... now that I know that the FAC uses (course evalu ations] in the evaluation process, I think it can really help both the professors and the school see how well they are doing." Zone Campbell, senior reports - warranted or not. "There are some problems with any sort of evaluation process," said Shapiro. "In the self-study that (the professors) submit to FAC when they are reviewed, faculty address many things, including what students have written in the course evaluations. FAC will see both the course evaluations and the faculty member's response." • ConUH Tamie Metrick thinks some unwarranted ronpoj^ggg might be resolved if students had to put their names on them. "The anonymity of it means that people know they can say what CTampbell knows that some stu dents don't take them seriously or use the evaluations to complain. "There have been people who rush through them so they can leave class early," said Campbell. "Others have problems with a teacher and give them the worst ratings and complain in the com ment section, but that is rare." Sophomore David Watters agrees with Campbell, but believes the presentation should be differ- 6111. ^ "(The evaluations) coma done in a much better way," said Watters. "They are usually done at the end of the year and the end of class and people just want to leave." These same issues have been studied for decades. However, all the studies have ambiguous find ings. Some studies state that evalua tions are valuable, others say they have no value, and even others criticize schools that use them in the review process. Yet others report that utilizing them as part of the review process helps hold professors accountable. Some studies show a gender/ race bias when it comes to evaluat ing professors. Women and non- Caucasians are evaluated much harsher than white male profes sors are. Even though the results are con flicting, the truth is that Guilford does use the evaluations, so here are the conclusions I've drawn: Take the evaluations seriously. Write as if your name is attached. Don't use it as a personal attack. Be honest, but fair. The bottom-line - when we fill out those empty bubbles and empty spaces at the end of this semester, we need to make sure our comments have validity. Consider the fact that we are about a real person who has a real stake in wliai wo ocj, 3^j how we say it. "Tremblay’s Bonjour, La, Bonjour takes place in 1973 in Montreal, Quebec. After a three-month stay in Europe, a young man named Serge returns home to see his fam ily. Personal and collective interactions hold the action together as the play jumps between past and present. As family members fight to create a secure sense of self in a suffocating environment, the overlapping stories cre ate a rich and complex picture of family dynamics. Finally, Tremblay celebrates social nonconformists who define love in highly individ ual and controversial terms. Bonjour, La, Bonjour asserts that it is important to live honestly and courageously, being true only to one’s self, rather than socially defined norms." Guilford College Theatre Studies Senior Company presents ©onjour, ©onjour April 17th & 18th, 2009 r* .. m m - * M I k ' ^ 1 All performances will take place at 8 p.m. in Sternberger Auditorium, located in Founders Hall. Admission is free and no reservations are required. Adult themes make this play appropriate only for mature audiences.
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 17, 2009, edition 1
10
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75