Serendipity35

My guess is that most professors are not happy with RateMyProfessors, the web site that lets students evaluate their instructors.

Yeah, a lot of the "evaluations" are just gripes and though some might be legitimate and from legitimate students, some could be from random visitors posing as students, perhaps even from rival instructors. Campus intrigue!

Of course, sociologists are on the case.

Associate sociology and social work professors Dr. Beth L. Davison and Dr. Jammie L. Price at Appalachian State studied the web site and its purpose, and published their findings in a report titled "How Do We Rate? An Evaluation of Online Student Evaluations."

"We are not against the concept," Davison said. "We actually like the concept, but would like to see the university create their own Web site."

"There is so much potential for a university-run Web site," Price said. "There appears to be a great demand for the information from students."

Want some holiday spice? Davison says that because the site asks about instructors' appearances, it contributes to an unhealthy sexualizing of the professorial environment.

RateMyProfessor's president, Patrick Nagle, said that camera phones in the classroom have a new meaning when last month they announced their new photo feature. The release asked at top: Is your professor HOT or NOT? The site claims that "every submitted image will be manually reviewed before it goes live.

Is that kid checking a text message or taking my picture?