What question did this study set out to answer?

To examine the relationships between perceived teaching quality, course easiness, and physical attractiveness in web-based student evaluations of university professors.

February 1, 2004Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education

Web-based student evaluations of professors: the relations between perceived quality, easiness and sexiness

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

JFJames FeltonCentral Michigan University JMJohn B. MitchellCentre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution MSMichael StinsonRochester Institute of Technology

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Observational study reveals course easiness and attractiveness predict quality ratings among university professors, indicating student evaluations may reflect leniency rather than teaching rigor.

Key Points

To examine the relationships between perceived teaching quality, course easiness, and physical attractiveness in web-based student evaluations of university professors.
Extracted self-selected student evaluation data from RateMyProfessors.com for 3,190 professors across 25 universities.
Restricted primary correlation and regression analyses to faculty members who received at least ten student reviews.
Calculated bivariate correlation coefficients and estimated simple linear regression models to determine the proportion of variance in perceived quality accounted for by easiness and sexiness.
Perceived quality correlated strongly with course easiness (r = 0.61) and moderately with sexiness (r = 0.30) among professors with ten or more reviews.
Simple linear regression demonstrated that course easiness and sexiness together accounted for approximately 50% of the total variance in perceived teaching quality.
Professors rated as sexy received systematically higher quality and easiness scores compared to those categorized as non-sexy.

Cite This Study

Felton et al. (2004) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a850bf6412f1be49af11d52 https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293032000158180

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Implication

Observational study reveals course easiness and attractiveness predict quality ratings among university professors, indicating student evaluations may reflect leniency rather than teaching rigor.

Web-based student evaluations of professors: the relations between perceived quality, easiness and sexiness

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Web-based student evaluations of professors: the relations between perceived quality, easiness and sexiness

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Also Consider