Contact Information
The Spectator
SA Update
Evaluation Deadline Will Remain
by Eve Denton '12Student Assembly Correspondent
November 06, 2009
Professor of Biology Ernest Williams, this year's Chair of the Committee on Appointments, spoke at the Nov. 2 Student Assembly meeting to clarify any questions assembly members had, and to explain his committee's position in choosing to keep the faculty evaluation deadline during the last week of classes rather than during Finals Week.
He began by explaining that students will receive the same evaluations as the ones that were released last year in the online format. He noted that online evaluations tend to provide better information since they are easier to read than handwritten responses and students give lengthier responses when typing. The Committee of Appointments has been very satisfied with the switch from paper evaluations to online evaluations.
Williams also addressed changes to this year's evaluations. Courses of only one or two students will not have a formal evaluation process because he feels that it is important to protect student confidentiality. Additionally, the amount of available time to submit evaluations has been increased. Evaluations will be available from the Sunday before the last week of classes until the end of Reading Period, Monday, Dec. 14, at 5 p.m.
Although the committee considered Student Assembly's proposal to extend evaluations through Finals Week, Williams gave one main reason for why this will not happen in the near future: evidence has shown that the most recent events in class have the largest effect on evaluations, and moving the deadline to the end of finals would attach a large weight to finals in the evaluation process. Williams suggested that if students find fault with some aspect of the finals process, they should contact either the Dean of Faculty or the appropriate department head.
Williams then explained how the committee uses evaluations. Evaluations are considered when faculty members are up for either reappointment, tenure or promotions. Tenured professors' salaries are affected by evaluations since heads of departments make salary recommendations to the dean based partially off evaluation results. Evaluations have a big impact on faculty decisions and Williams indicated that students should continue to take them seriously.