YEARS ago, some brilliant mind designed an app called Rate My Professor. At the time, I thought “Oh – this is just a fad. It’ll go away.” And at the start that’s what it looked like. There were only the few students that posted and – much like an Amazon product rating – they were the people who LOVED the class or HATED the class. No in between.
On the upside, there used to be a “hot pepper” for teachers who the student(s) thought was cute. I got a hot pepper back in the day. You couldn’t see who it was from and it was a fun thing – admittedly mildly inappropriate – but fun.
Fast forward to now. I ask my students why they chose the class and/or why they chose me instead of my 3 colleagues that teach the same 101 class. Nearly invariably it is either “My friend took your class and recommended you” (My favorite!!!) or “You’re rated excellent on Rate My Professor.” So, yes, it’s a big deal. It helps both my and the school’s reputation and makes a difference in who students choose.
I have co-workers who refuse to look at RMP at all saying they “don’t want to know,” but I think it’s a great way to get a feel for how you’re being perceived. Now, I’m not saying you should change your teaching to get a “good rating,” but it’s pretty awesome if you do get a great rating for doing what you love in the way you do it. It’s that kind of feedback and evaluation that keeps me going. I love what I do, and I love that the students love it (and me – grin!) too.
And on that note, have a great Spring Break and check out RMP if you haven’t!
Me: https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=945615
GCC: https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/campusRatings.jsp?sid=2111
And check out Heather Merrill, Julie Waskow & Ernie Brings who rate 5.0 at the top of our school!
I used to avoid Rate My Professor, but in recent years have found that some the feedback there can be more genuine than what can be gathered from internal assessments. I think it can be a useful resource as long as it is not used as gospel.
I’ve never been rated there. Though admittedly my ratings would now be out of date – they would have come from me teaching in the graphic design program at SCC between 2004-2010.
I have seen some professors actually encourage students to rate them at the end of a class, like Dr. Proctor from SMCC: https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=1384707