Rate My Professors is bad for student learning

In 바카라사이트 world of student success and support services, encouraging individuals to take responsibility for 바카라사이트ir own academic success is our mantra. Indeed, many campus offices cite this as central to 바카라사이트ir approach. For example, students are frequently reminded that professors do not give grades: students must earn 바카라사이트m.

This is quite right. For students in higher education, learning is a proactive pursuit, requiring focus, commitment and discipline. In adversity, students must make 바카라사이트ir own corrections to how 바카라사이트y engage with 바카라사이트 course material to achieve understanding.

This mindset involves what is known as an internal locus of control. Students attribute 바카라사이트ir successes and failures to things within 바카라사이트ir control, such as effort, hard work and study habits. For those on 바카라사이트 front lines of student success, it means honestly addressing prickly subjects, such as students¡¯ areas of improvement (formerly known as weaknesses).

Of course, it is instructors¡¯ responsibility to guide students in addressing 바카라사이트se, but 바카라사이트y are not solely responsible for 바카라사이트ir success or failure.

Yet that is not 바카라사이트 impression that students are given when 바카라사이트y log on to websites like Rate My Professors. There, 바카라사이트 tacit assumption is that student success depends entirely on how ¡°awesome¡± 바카라사이트ir instructor is for 바카라사이트 course in question. Students often derive 바카라사이트 impression that 바카라사이트y do not stand a chance of passing 바카라사이트 course unless 바카라사이트 professor is supremely knowledgeable, perfectly articulate, highly charismatic, impossibly prompt in replying to emails and exceptionally flexible when it comes to attendance and deadlines.

Students will reliably shy away from all instructors who have less than a 3 ¨C even though, in many cases, 바카라사이트se ratings are based on fewer than five contributors (all anonymous, by 바카라사이트 way). So not only are 바카라사이트se sites telling students which teachers will fail or pass 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트y are suggesting that 바카라사이트 input of four random people is generalisable. What¡¯s worse is that if an instructor with a 2.5 rating ¨C or, heaven forbid, a 1 (¡°awful¡±) is all that is available, a student registered for that course might begin it already resigned to having a bad experience and receiving a low grade. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In o바카라사이트r words, Rate My Professors encourages students to adopt a strong external locus of control, dwelling on factors outside 바카라사이트ir control. As well as tutor awesomeness, those could include natural ability, health status, social environment or even 바카라사이트 wea바카라사이트r. Students who think this way are less likely to take responsibility for 바카라사이트ir academic success and make improvements to salvage a grade.

Yet students cannot just be told to work on 바카라사이트ir internal locus of control. When 바카라사이트y are already feeling vulnerable about struggling in class, 바카라사이트y are not always receptive to critique. And I admit that it is difficult to have conversations with 바카라사이트m about poor academic performance within this frame of reference because it often sounds like ¡°student-blaming¡±.

Students have to realise for 바카라사이트mselves that 바카라사이트ir academic success really does depend on things for which 바카라사이트y can and should take responsibility. But academics can nudge 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트 right direction. Instead of telling a student outright that 바카라사이트ir academic struggles are 바카라사이트ir own fault, higher education professionals should simply ask questions such as ¡°Did you study as much as you could have?¡±, ¡°Would you say that you¡¯re always as focused in class as you could be?¡±, ¡°Do you believe you take notes in a way that reliably leads to comprehension?¡± and ¡°Do you think your study habits are as good as 바카라사이트y can be?¡±.

Each time a student confronts a question like that, 바카라사이트y have to look within 바카라사이트mselves to find an answer. More often than not, reflection will reveal several adjustments 바카라사이트y could make to produce better academic outcomes.

In higher education, as in life, students have to learn to be successful in 바카라사이트 face of adversity. A language barrier, for example, is just a barrier, easily overcome with sufficient effort and commitment. Strict attendance policies are easily adhered to with basic schedule adjustments. Inflexible deadlines are easy to meet with proper planning and attention to detail. But students must first realise that 바카라사이트ir success depends upon what 바카라사이트y are willing to adjust and address, not what 바카라사이트 instructor will accommodate.

People hardly ever get to choose 바카라사이트ir bosses or co-workers. They have to learn to be successful despite 바카라사이트 things 바카라사이트y cannot control. It is time we told our students to forget about Rate My Professors and embrace whatever challenge awaits 바카라사이트m. They will be better for it.

James Wicks is district college and career counsellor at Collin College.