DAILY LOBO new mexico
Keeping the culture alive see page 6
September 8, 2011
Professors rate RateMyProfessor by Luke Holmen holmen@unm.edu
Some UNM students say websites like ratemyprofessor.com (RMP) are useful for helping them choose which instructors to take classes with, but faculty argue that the system isn’t as useful as it seems. Students on RMP rate professors on several dimensions: clarity, helpfulness, easiness and rater interest (interest level prior to attending the class) as well as physical attractiveness. Overall professor quality is determined by an equal weighting of only two criteria: clarity and helpfulness. The highest score is a five, while the lowest is a 0. UNM’s average professor rating is 3.34. Student Jeremiah Wynton said he visits the site before selecting classes every semester. “It’s honest, and that is what I like about it,” he said. “UNM doesn’t give students any idea which professors are good, and it seems to be that is what is most important to students. I can find out in advance what a class is going to be like and make some sort of informed decision rather than getting stuck with the professor that is impossibly hard, or has no idea what he is talking about.” Harjit Ahluwalia, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is rated second lowest for
teachers at UNM (1.6 overall), but said his poor ratings are a reflection upon the difficulty of the class. “I agree most of them are not favorable to my teaching style,” he said. “Insisting on hard work does not make me popular. Students (need) to spend about 10 hours outside the class to acquire problem solving skills at an acceptable level and do well in class tests and exams.”
“The target audience of online evaluations is other students, and the comments are public.” ~Keith Hunley, Associate professor of anthropology StudentIanMartinezsaidAhluwalia demands too much from his students without offering help, on top of a thick accent that made it difficult to learn. “It wasn’t that he was a bad teacher, he just expected you to know everything and it was just too hard to understand what he was saying,“ he said. Ahluwalia said maintaining a
thursday The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
Highest-Rated Lowest-Rated Total Ratings 24
Overall Quality 4.9
Easiness 4.2
Morrow, Cary Chemistry
32
4.9
4.9
Ouassini, Anwar Sociology
17
4.8
4.2
Schwartz, David Mathematics
38
4.8
4.1
Cyrino, Monica Classics
111
4.7
4.7
Burns, Kevin Mathematics
31
4.7
3.5
Embid, Pedro Mathematics
24
4.7
2.6
Hunley, Keith Anthropology
45
4.7
3.7
Pun, Aroura Geology
19
4.7
2.3
Witherington, David Psychology
32
4.7
3.8
Delcampo, Robert Management
rigorous curriculum is in the best interest of the future success of students, many of whom go on to medical school or pursue doctoral degrees. He said TAs offer help to students, but many refuse to study enough to do well. “Almost universally, physics is considered a difficult subject and some courses are called ‘killer courses,’ but
AN EYE FOR DETAIL
Total Ratings 17
Overall Quality 1.1
Easiness 1.8
Ahluwalia, Harjit Physics
17
1.6
1.6
Buchner, Michael Mathematics
17
1.6
1.6
Henry, Melissa Film
15
1.9
2.2
Mann, Paul Nursing
20
2.1
1.2
Council-Garcia, Cara Lea Biology
UNM Professor Ratings Source: RateMyProfessors.com
everyone expects to get an A.” In contrast, Keith Hunley, associate professor of anthropology, said he was pleased to learn that students had rated him highly. “I am flattered and gratified to know that students rate me highly on RMP,” he said. “I am especially happy to read comments about how my classes make
science accessible and interesting. This is a primary goal of my teaching.” Hunley said online reviews provided by sites like RMP were helpful, while end of year evaluations results aren’t released to students. “The target audience of online
by Charlie Shipley
The materials lent out by the library as well as the catalogue are evolving to keep up with the changes, she said. According to Dennis, the library began renting iPads and Kindles to students over the summer. The library also rents out laptops, but those are only available for 3-hour blocks and cannot leave the library. “If they’re home and they’re studying, then they should have as much access as possible to content they can study remotely,” Dennis said. “If they’re in the classroom, the dorms — wherever they are — if they’re not physically in the library, we want to try to serve them there as well.” Despite the growing availability of information online, students still check out books. The library circulates more than 300,000 books a year out of the collections, but also has about 200,000 e-books accessible through LIBROS, an online catalogue. Dennis said whether materials come in print or digital format is largely dependent on the area of study. For example, art and music libraries haven’t been digitalized because the quality of audio and visual electronic documents is subpar. “The sciences for the most part have embraced electronic,” she said. “The journals are now born digital and delivered in a digital format. You can’t buy them in print anymore.”
UNM libraries still appeal to students CharlieShipley84@gmail.com
Despite stores such as Borders and Newsland closing up shop, UNM’s Zimmerman Library still has plenty of chapters left in an increasingly digital world. UNM Libraries associate dean Nancy Dennis said that 1.8 million people visited UNM’s four libraries last year, and Zimmerman topped the list.
“We’re already seeing gate counts here in Zimmerman of over 6,000 people a day,” ~Nancy Dennis, Associate libraries dean
Dylan Smith / Daily Lobo This mural by Ernest Doty, Ryan Montoya and Jaque Fraque is under construction on the east wall of the newly opened Slice Parlor. The artists’ collaboration on the Nob Hill restaurant depicts New Mexico in a way that “crosses cultural and religious boundaries.” Most notably, a Native American with four eyes is set against the backdrop of a nuclear reactor.
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 116
issue 14
Care for the homeless
Crossing your words
See page 2
See page 10
see Ratings PAGE 3
“We’re already seeing gate counts here in Zimmerman of over 6,000 people a day,” Dennis said. “It’s a little bit more than last year, but it’s a very busy place.” She said the library attracts students for several reasons, including the first floor Starbucks, a high number of computer terminals and communal study areas. But students mainly come to the library to seek information, she said.
see Zimmerman PAGE 3
TODAY
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