Forum to ask if faculty evaluations should go online

A faculty-student panel will discuss the topic "Should Faculty Evaluations be Posted Online?" on Thursday, Nov. 15, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Den in the Student Union (this is a location change from a previous announcement). Many students believe their evaluations of faculty teaching should be posted online for review by other students enrolling in classes the following semester/year. Faculty concerns are these: 1) not enough students fill out the evaluations to ensure that the critiques genuinely reflect the whole class experience; 2) some students may use evaluations to "get back" at faculty because of interpersonal tensions or a dislike for the course or workload; 3) students might use the evaluations to pick classes based on considerations that have nothing to do with the quality of the instructor. UAA is introducing a new evaluation form (called IDEA) based on a nationwide assessment of the most effective evaluation processes; also, for the first time, all course evaluations will be conducted online. All are invited to come, eat free pizza and listen to what promises to be an interesting discussion. Questions? afbh@uaa.alaska.edu.