By the end of October and into November, class scheduling for the spring semester at Ohio University is in full swing. As a freshman studying journalism, this process is overwhelming. There are countless general education requirements covering a wide range of topics such as African American studies, economics and sociology.
One of the ways students, including myself, narrow down what classes to take is by utilizing Rate My Professors, a website where students anonymously review professors and rate them on a scale of one to five, with five meaning excellent and one meaning awful. Other students may use the website to learn more about professors and the courses they’ve taught.
Students can learn if professors are lecture-heavy, take attendance, assign heavy workloads or require a textbook. There are currently over 3,200 OU professors rated on the site from past and present.
While Rate My Professors can provide valuable insight into teaching styles, it isn’t the most reliable platform. Biases, outdated reviews and subjective opinions can distort the reality of a class, making it a poor foundation for important academic decisions.
Recently, I looked up one of my current professors, Dr. Takaaki Suzuki, who teaches the course themes in global politics. Suzuki has a 3.6 out of five rating on Rate My Professors.
One student gave Suzuki a 1 out of 5 rating and said, “You will not get attendance points if you are sick or even dying. He does not care.” Another student gave him a 3 out of 5 ranking, writing, “Lectures were boring and hard to follow. He is a very nice person but lacks engagement with students.” Both of these reviews are from the last three years.
Professors often adjust their teaching methods each semester. In Suzuki’s class, he uses a digital TopHat code to take attendance, meaning the teacher displays a code on the screen and students enter it on their device to receive credit. In theory, this system means you can obtain the attendance code from a friend without being present.
This may not have been the case in previous semesters, which could explain negative reviews about attendance. Since there are no reviews from this semester, students wouldn’t know about this system and its potential loopholes.
Comments about lectures being “boring” are purely subjective. While one student says Suzuki is not engaging with students, another says he’s “incredibly approachable and supportive of questions and diverse thought.”
These contradictions show how these reviews reflect personal opinions rather than the true class experience.
Giving professors low ratings after doing poorly in a class is an example of self-serving bias, which is when humans attribute their failures to “external, situational factors,” and “blame others or circumstances for our shortcomings.” It takes vulnerability to admit you struggle in a class because you don’t study or can’t grasp it well. Instead, students take to the website to blame it on the professor.
On the other hand, students also tend to rate professors highly if they deem the class an easy A, wiping away all criticisms if the class was easy to pass. I’m currently taking the course future of media with Dr. Hans Meyer, who holds a 4.5 out of 5 rating on Rate My Professors.
One student who rated Meyer a 4 out of 5 said the class was an “easy A,” despite complaints about the class format and complicated PowerPoint presentations. Students often prioritize simplicity over anything else in college, ignoring flaws and giving high ratings.
Reviews are important to consumers. 98% of people say they check user-generated reviews before purchasing an item. Choosing classes for the next semester isn’t much different, because it directly affects your education and involves a significant amount of tuition money.
Rate My Professors can be a biased site, and when it’s used for something as important as course registration, this can be harmful. There is such a thing as “negative review bias,” meaning unhappy people are more likely to share their experiences than satisfied people, which can skew ratings.
Students need to understand the biases and issues with Rate My Professors before using it to pick classes or professors. Each review is on a case-by-case basis, and learning is subjective. When using Rate My Professors for scheduling, be sure to take these factors into account.
Abby Shriver is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Abby about their column? Email them at as064024@ohio.edu
Instagram- @abbyshriver_
