A great change is now taking place in higher education throughout our country. Teachers are being held responsible as never before for how well they serve their students. It has become as common in colleges and universities for students to grade teachers as for teachers to grade students. In some universities students＇ rating has even become the only source of information on teaching effectiveness.
I think students＇ rating of their teachers is necessary, but it should be conducted in a way that can really shed meaningful light on teachers＇ performance. Instead of rating the teachers＇ knowledge on the subject, students should be asked to estimate what they themselves have leaned in a course, and to report on such things as a teacher＇s ability to communicate with students, his relationship with students, and his ability to arouse interest in the subject.