A Little Exaggeration

Andy comes highly rated!

 

If you ever met me in person - you'd know I scale a big "0" on the "hotness" scale.

The ratemyprofessors site has been interesting to watch. It is unscientific and subject to manipulation - both by irate students that can sink a prof - and by unscruplous profs that try to manipulate it to look better.

Wise administrators look at evaluations over time - and don't get overly concerned about ratemyprofessors or one class with low evals. The ratemyprofessor site is pretty anectodotal - but may confirm someone's suspicions.

As the sample size goes up - the validity of the results would seem to improve. When I see a prof with 2 observations - I don't give the results any thought.

On another note - one problem I've seen in DL programs is low response rate on evals. Low response rate almost always leads to low evaluations. I strongly encourage all my students to fill the forms out. One term I got "creamed" when two irate students filled out the survey - and no one else bothered.

Regards - Andy

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: A Little Exaggeration

So using your rationale, all US schools must be DL schools since most of them offer some DL programs.

Seriously, how would you feel if I or others said that all DL American or Canadian doctorate students at low rated Aussie schools have poor academic backgrounds and would never be accepted at prestgious PhD programs? Particularly those students attending a DL school that has: doctorate programs that can be completed in three years part-time (or what you call "microwave schools"); open admissions; almost NO residencies; low ranked (both by Assies and internationally); and without any professional accreditation (despite the existence of good DL European AACSB & EQUIS accreditted schools out there)?
I don't think you would like this one bit. And no, claiming exemption from prejudice because fast doctorates might be the "norm" in Australia or Malawi isn't going to work with everyone, especially in the US and, you guessed it, Canada.

Relax, I don't have a problem with Aussie schools or their admission standards. I just ask you to be more respectful in your comments regarding other DL schools or DL students. We don't have to lump all DL students attending a particular type of school as all having poor backgrounds. Hey, your alma matter isn't regarded without flaws either.

Sulla

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: A Little Exaggeration

You are the one that mentioned "DL Aussie schools" when all of them have on campus and DL programs. The thread has nothing to do with Aussie education but experiences with online teaching in for profit schools. I just mentioned my experience with some online courses that I taught at some for profits schools.

I'm really aware of the limitations of the choise I made, I will be kidding myself if I think that I got exactly the same education that someone that decided to take a 5 year full time program at the University of Toronto or Queens. Part time, night school, distance education and continuing education have their limitations no matter the name of the school but it always comes to the choise of degree or no degree.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: One More Thought

Overall, very interesting thread and I'm going wedge my rambling comments in here for lack of a better place....

No GMAT doesn't necessary mean open admissions, as there are often other requirements for entry, depending on the graduate school. Doctoral programs with non-traditional admissions policies need to really tighten the screws with respect to what qualifies as original research; many of these descriptive studies that don't advance theory are really more appropriate for the master thesis; that's what it's there for.... collecting data shouldn't be the minimum threshold. What I find most heinous about teaching online is the attention to customer satisfaction; I think too much catering to students' needs inflates grades. I can remember when a 3.2 grade average in an AACSB business school for working adults actually meant something. Still, I'm confronted occasionally with undergraduate students who don't understand how to work with simple algebra and graduate students who either don't know how or refuse to write with complete paragraphs, both expecting high grades on every assignment. If I don't put my foot down with this student, regardless of their company's tuition reimbursement policy, who will? Open admissions are not the problem, but grade inflation that keeps these marginal students from not being culled in the educational process is the problem, and customer satisfaction concerns are the evil that impedes the process of bringing student achievement up to a satisfactory level.

Best wishes,

Dave

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: A Little Exaggeration

And why not? You actually think that experiences with grade exaggeration only happens at the for-profits?? Grade inflation and lowering of academic standards is an important issue that should not be restricted only the DL for-profit community when there is more than enough evidence that it happens in the not-for-profit sector as well as at international schools. DL Aussie schools make a big slice of the DL world, so I see no reason not to include them in the thread.


Its one thing to point out flaws in a school, but is another to make knee jerk reactions and make an absolute statement that ALL students that attend a particular type of school are all inferior. I know you probably didn't mean it that way but
its normal that you got some criticism back. Sure there are students who want easy degrees (and I've seen them too), there are those who sholdn't be in college, but there are also hard working students who who want to get a hard-earned degree but can't do it any other way other than DL because of their life schedules. You should talk about this nitch too to be fair.

Ok then, thanks for your honesty.
We made our points. Lets stop here.

Sulla