Professor Ratings

It isn't just the professors who give out the grades these days. At most universities, students will fill out professor reviews at the end of the term (sometimes a called Faculty Course Questionaire, FCQ), providing the pros and cons of the course and giving the professor a grade. Some universities publish these grades on their website to help students make course decisions and also encourage the professors to improve. The information provided usually includes ratings on grading fairness, professor accessibility, workload, student diversity, a course rating, and an overall professor rating.

If the university does not provide this information, or if you would like additional insight into your professors, there are multiple online professor review websites available. Many students prefer the academic services of Pick-A-Prof (pickaprof.com). The site offers course and professor reviews provided by former students. Pick-A-Prof also offers grade histories, a break down of the grades students have recieved from the professor, provided by the universities themselves. Another useful feature is the drop rate. If 20% of the students are dropping out of the class, it is a clear sign that something is up.

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