By Megan Carradine/south news editor
RateMyProfessors.com has been named a top 25 social media site for college students by Knowledge Knuggets: Tips and Resources for Lifelong Learners at undergraduatedegree.org.
The site began in May 1999 and serves more than 6.8 million students and more than 1 million professors.
Rate My Professors allows students to rate current or previous professors on clarity and helpfulness. For fun, they also can rate on attractiveness.
Tarrant County College is one of many community colleges on the Web site, which lists professors from each campus by last name first or by department.
Both college teachers and students everywhere, like NW Campus sophomore Holly Bolling, have formed their opinion on the Web site.
“I use the Web site every semester because of its accuracy,” Bolling said. “So I will probably continue to use the Web site when I transfer to a four-year college.”
NE Campus sophomore Sharde Hampton climbed onboard the Rate My Professors bandwagon as well.
“Rate My Professors is one of the best Web sites for college students. Not only does it help choose professors wisely, but it also helps save money and time,” she said. “I can’t tell you how many classes I’ve dropped and how much money I’ve wasted before knowing about Rate My Professors. Since then, I have not dropped any classes.”
Though many TCC students were pleased with the Web site, a few teachers, such as South Campus math instructor Mehrnaz Ghaffarian, were not.
“The Web site may be beneficial to some students,” he said. “Most often their comments depend on if the student participated in class.”
Ghaffarian said he used the Web site to critique himself once, but it did not help because students would often contradict each other’s ratings.
“Some students say I explain everything and I take my time making sure students understand their work, but another student says I go too fast and I am not of any help,” he said.
Ghaffarian said he did not think the Web site gave fair ratings of him as a professor.
Geology instructor Syed Huma did not see much value in the site.
“The Web site is not beneficial to students since most of them are trying to get back at their instructors,” he said. “It may, however, benefit instructors if the opinion is a good one.”
NW Campus performing arts chair department and theater director Brent Alford had a positive take on the Web site.
Alford said the student comments gave him a fair rating.
“I think the comments should be taken in context,” he said. “They are based on one student’s experience, which does not necessarily reflect the success or failure of the class as a whole.”
