'Rate My Professors' Success Means Being Hot, Grading Easy

Rate My Professors is regarded by some college students as a bible when it comes to picking classes. The basic premise of the academia-based site involves students issuing virtual judgment of professors on a scale of one to five, in categories such as ease of grading, helpfulness and clarity of instruction. There is also room for free form comments and the opportunity to mark a professor as "hot."

Unfortunately, what might excite students (primarily ease and attractiveness) does not necessarily make a quality educator. And, potentially more troublesome, Rate My Professors never bothers to identify or verify that a contributor is actually a student, meaning faceless haters can prod a poor prof. Still, many high-ranking wear their virtual accolades as badges of honor.

Trickily enough, getting to the front of the class on "Rate" certainly helps if you're "hot." Passing all your students, regardless of their effort or intelligence, doesn't hurt either. However, true success isn't merely a good rating, but also impassioned comments from students. Take, for example, the eighth-ranked Paul V. Morgan Jr., an adjunct at the Albany School of Business and Albany Law School. Morgan gives excitable, macho lectures, described by some as, "like watching a stand up comedy show." Those lessons drive students to leave similarly toned comments on his Rate My Professors profile, calling him "a god," "an animal," "the man" and "an alpha dog."

Still, Morgan does rate high for ease of grading. In fact, looking at all of the top rated professors reveals a pattern of readily available 'A's.' So, all you would-be educators who are more concerned with online ratings than actual teaching, here is your recipe for success: be exciting, funny and make sure to plump students' GPAs. [From: New York Times]

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