The value of evaluations

This semester, the Columbia College Student Council Academic Affairs Committee has been working on an initiative to publish course evaluations on CourseWorks online. The measure has the potential to make feedback more constructive for instructors and students alike. Columbia University Information Technology should work with CCSC to make evaluations available to the general student body, and students should support the initiative by signing CCSC’s online petition.

Just before final examinations, CUIT issues course evaluations to students via the class’s page on CourseWorks. The evaluations give students the opportunity to give feedback on the quality of the course and the teaching ability of the instructor. After teachers submit final grades, they are able to see the anonymous results of the evaluations. However, students are not privy to the potentially crucial information provided by the evaluations. Because of the lack of transparency in how the school uses them, many students do not feel that they will be affected by their responses and put minimal effort into assessments.

Students would be more inclined to fill out the evaluations diligently if they know that their comments will have an effect. For example, evaluations could help other students decide which classes to take. In addition, feedback will hold professors more accountable for their instruction. Columbia Classes, a Spectator-affiliated Web site, is a good example of an instrument in which publicizing the evaluations would be beneficial—the Web site already consolidates a number of services for organizing courseloads and the evaluations the University already collects would be a welcome addition. By making course evaluations public, the University will be giving students the tools to have their voices heard.

A major worry for students is that they do not know what to expect in next semester’s classes. CUIT and CCSC should collaborate to give students the opportunity to share their insights on past academic experiences, and students need to remember to sign CCSC’s petition.