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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]PP Prof here.  Maybe I wasn't clear about how we evaluate teaching.  It is true that we care about teaching evaluations by students, but we look at all of the questions (these include things like whether the instructor is organized, whether the class is challenging, etc. etc.) though the overall 'rate the instructor' question also matters quite a lot.[/quote]

Business Prof here.  Business schools are dependent on tuition money, and the consequent emphasis on teaching ratings diluted and destroyed the M.B.A. degree.  Teaching ratings are all correlated with the same factor of making the students feel like they learned a lot, regardless of whether they actually learned a lot.

It is fine to have some teaching professors.  But you need to have serious scholars to maintain the curriculum.  When some undergrad majors start over $100K, and Wall Street compensation soon exceeds $200K, what kind of professor quality will you get cheaply?  It might be a great person who loves teaching, but not someone who stays on the cutting edge of the field for decades.

Teaching ratings can be useful.  For example, that NYU chemistry professor refused to relax standards during Covid.  GMAFB, everybody knew it was tougher to learn remotely during Covid.  Plus, college enrollment dropped, so they needed to drop standards to maintain the cash flow and meet diversity targets.  You must teach the students you have, not the students you would like to have.  That chemistry professor was old and unwilling to adapt.

Colleges need a reservoir of curmudeonly professors who care about their field more than they care about money.  I'm reminded of the Greatful Dead allowing fans to freely tape the music.  By analogy, science departments have tough grading standards and low service.  They make students sit in cinder-block/concrete buildings, and professors teach on blackboards without free Powerpoint notes.  But they get lots of donations after their students get jobs and found companies.

The best gyms lack juice bars.  Authentic ethnic restaurants are in cheap strip malls.  The most exclusive nightclubs have dress codes and face control.  And the best academic classes emphasize standards over convenience.[/quote]

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