SteveMcAllister
Junior Member
What is the name of your state? California (but I am asking a general quesiton)
I am a professor at a medium sized university. My job consists of research, administration, and teaching. My career advancement depends on how well I do each of the 3 parts. The quality of my research is realtively easy to measure, and administration just requires me sitting on a certain number of committees.
However, the only way the quality of my teaching is measured is by means of student evaluaitons of my performance. These are anonymous, and of course, highly dependent on the grades students are receiving at the time. They can be extremely vindictive and highly irrelevant. Students, under the cloak of anonymity, think nothing of questioning instructors' honesty (e.g., is he pocketing the lab fee?), integrity (e.g., he gives better grades to girls who flirt hwith him, if that is all they do!), credentials (does he have a Ph.D.?), fashion sense and even personal hygiene (these are compilated exmples, not just from me!)
These evaluations are then made public (within the department, at least), and used in the tenure-granting process and any other performance/salary review. It seems to me that in every other circumstance a person has the right to face and challenge his/her accuser, and anonymous assessments, particularly malicious ones, are not used to grant or deny career advancement.
Is there a case against the university for participating in and encouraging demanation/slander?
thank you for all replies.
urctors' honesty,
I am a professor at a medium sized university. My job consists of research, administration, and teaching. My career advancement depends on how well I do each of the 3 parts. The quality of my research is realtively easy to measure, and administration just requires me sitting on a certain number of committees.
However, the only way the quality of my teaching is measured is by means of student evaluaitons of my performance. These are anonymous, and of course, highly dependent on the grades students are receiving at the time. They can be extremely vindictive and highly irrelevant. Students, under the cloak of anonymity, think nothing of questioning instructors' honesty (e.g., is he pocketing the lab fee?), integrity (e.g., he gives better grades to girls who flirt hwith him, if that is all they do!), credentials (does he have a Ph.D.?), fashion sense and even personal hygiene (these are compilated exmples, not just from me!)
These evaluations are then made public (within the department, at least), and used in the tenure-granting process and any other performance/salary review. It seems to me that in every other circumstance a person has the right to face and challenge his/her accuser, and anonymous assessments, particularly malicious ones, are not used to grant or deny career advancement.
Is there a case against the university for participating in and encouraging demanation/slander?
thank you for all replies.
urctors' honesty,