Monday, September 28, 2009

The Ethics of Teacher Evaluations

One of my favorite Sunday pleasures is to go through the New York Times.  And early on in my reading of the Times, I go to The Ethicist column written by Randy Cohen.  I start with the ethical dilemma presented and before reading Randy Cohen’s typically very astute answer, I reflect on my position regarding the issue.  This week’s column is entitled “Grading the Ratings” and begins with a faculty member’s lament that his or her “listing on ratemyprofessor.com has a few positive ratings but the majority are from students who gripe about their workload and the density of…[the]lectures.”  The faculty member next asks whether he or she may “suggest” that the “more-satisfied students…post a rating on the Web site.”

Monday, September 14, 2009

The Academic Dishonesty Virus

I’m an economist and my typical reading pattern, especially on a weekend when I tend to have more time, is to gravitate first to the major economic news.  But my reading patterns as of this past summer have changed dramatically:  I now look first for news on H1N1.  As is true for almost all of us, there is a measure of self interest in my starting with flu-related articles.  But what motivates me most to look for H1N1 news is the potential impact on the University.  We know from the CDC as well as from state guidelines that the expectation is in most cases for most individuals, that this flu will last 2-4 days and that most people will recover without seeing a doctor.  We have been asked and we will make allowances for students who may miss up to 5 class days with H1N1.  We will make allowances for students who miss regularly scheduled exams (even final exams).  And we will prepare for the contingency that a number of faculty will contract this virus and will not be able to come to class for a few days.  We will do all of this while attempting to make certain the standards are not compromised.