Should Students Be Allowed to Grade Professors?
October 16, 2019
Students are graded based on their comprehension skills in class, their appearance (paying attention to the lecture) and how the student presents themselves in front of their peers and professor(s). At the end of the semester, students evaluate their professors, which is similar to “grading” them. However, these evaluations should not be the only means for students to grade their professors.
A semester lasts anywhere from fourteen to sixteen weeks; grading professors after approximately every week and a half to two weeks may be sufficient in helping give professors a better idea in how to present themselves and their lectures for future courses.
How does the grading process work? At the end of every week and a half to two weeks, the students would have the opportunity to write a small critique of their professor’s lectures: how well the professor presents themselves and how well they interact with the class.
How would students and professors benefit from this? First, the students would benefit if they give a “good mark” stating they are learning from this professor. Second, the professor would benefit from receiving more “good marks” from students, showing the given department of the college, the university, future students, and the community there are professors who truly share their knowledge with students and both professors and students will succeed through the course.
Being a professor can be difficult at times. They teach many classes, give exams and assignments, then have to grade all work while having to return papers back to students in a timely manner. Many professors express this stress and it is up to students to compromise alongside their professor. However, professors should be critiqued more often, as students are. If a grading system like this were to be established at Shawnee State, students would need to take grading seriously. The evaluations at the end of each semester can be unreliable, as some students give the professors good remarks to be done while other students take the time to thoroughly provide correct evaluations on professors.
