The Newer Scientist
Oxford's `Prof Idol'
The University of Oxford is trialling a new academic ratings scheme, designed to give instant feedback on the quality of teaching at some of the University's many departments. Students will be able to `vote off ' unpopular lecturers and even direct the course of their seminars, using the new techniques. Head of Communications at Oxford, Jane Brane, described the plans thus:
"We wanted to automate and improve our internal evaluation processes, and we were inspired by the proliferation of websites devoted to giving ratings on the quality of academics and lecturers in American colleges, such as www.ratemyprofessors.com. We've taken those principles and brought them off the web and into the lecture hall in real-time. Both students and academic peers will be participating in the new ratings scheme, which we've already nicknamed `Prof Idol'."
The system makes use of new electronic, wireless voting systems that are being included in many secondary and primary school rooms across the country. Specialised keypads allow students to provide instant responses to questions from the teacher. Key lecture theatres and seminar rooms of three colleges have been fitted with the devices, which will link to a screen in the corner of the room.
Students will rate the quality of the lecturers as they speak. A rating will be shown as a coloured bar, marked between 10 for inspiring, motivating speakers and 0 for the most tedious. A lecturer can monitor his or her progress on the ratings bar and up their game if the students deem their performance below-par.
If the lecturer's rating stays between 0 and 2 for more than five minutes at a stretch, then he or she is prompted to stop speaking and the students then take a group vote on what to do next. Options will include: `Change the subject', `Change the lecturer', `Go to the pub'. At the end of each term, a lecturer's score is totted up and the results posted onto the internet. Assessment criteria will also include `Attractiveness', `Sense of Humour' and `Flexibility Over Essay Deadlines'.
"Students are increasingly having to pay for their education, and at a top-flight university like Oxford, we have to be both very aware of the customer's, sorry student's, needs and of the institution's reputation as a whole."
The plan has come under attack from a number of Oxford dons, decrying it as yet another application of a customer-oriented business ethic to the process of learning and teaching. In response, scheme's mastermind, Jim Bean, said:
"This is simply common-sense. It will make the learning process more exciting and it will encourage the academic staff to give their best, every day. The students will repay that effort in kind, I am sure."
Indeed, Mr Bean's plans even extend to the research departments and laboratories:
"Departmental meetings in science and applied science faculties will be augmented with our voting pads. Academics of every level will be able to vote on the quality of research being done by their peers from `Crap' to `Cool' and thereby steer cutting-edge research to the areas it is most needed."
