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"Unvarnished." (Phi Beta Cons)
"Splendidly splenetic." (Culture Industry)
"Except for University Diaries, most academic blogs are tedious."
(Rate Your Students)
"I think of Soltan as the Maureen Dowd of the blogosphere,
except that Maureen Dowd is kind of a wrecking ball of a writer,
and Soltan isn't. For the life of me, I can't figure out her
politics, but she's pretty fabulous, so who gives a damn?"
(Tenured Radical)

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

TO: Alliance for A's Members

FROM: You know who (for background, see UD post 19 April, etc., etc.)

SUBJECT: REQUIRED READING

Hi guys - It's course evaluation season all over America as our colleges and universities begin to bring another academic year to a close. One of our members recently passed along to me the latest draft of her university's course evaluation form, and I think it's hot stuff! I wanted to share it with you....

Proposed Revised Mandatory University-Wide Course Evaluation Form

Please put your hands together and give it up for Professor_________________ [place professor's name here]! As you know, your professor's salary is directly linked to your assessment of her/him. Throughout the semester, your professor, like all of this university's professors, has done all she/he can to anticipate and respond to your needs. This course evaluation form is your chance to give something back! Please answer the following questions about him/her.

How soon (roughly) did he/she learn your first name?

Does he/she begin each class by asking how everybody's feeling that day?

Is he/she attractive and well groomed? (Note: Studies show that students prefer attractive instructors.)

Does your professor show sincere interest in you as a person? Feel free to give examples.

Is your instructor able to hold his/her temper when student cell phones ring and students answer them in class?

Does your instructor snap at you when you read the newspaper during class?

Does your instructor lecture, as if he/she knows more than you do, or is the class student-based?

Did your professor ever show doubt when you offered excuses for having missed classes?

Did your professor share warm personal experiences with you to make him/her seem approachable and just like everyone else, or was he/she reserved and all intellectual?

What was more important to your instructor - fostering your creativity or correcting your spelling?

Circle one: My professor was primarily interested in my a] mind; b] personal development.
Posted at: 4/21/2004 08:35:00 PM