Online reviews are fundamental to how I make decisions from buying a product online to choosing a restaurant to hiring a builder. Is it something we should be using to share opinions about lecturers? This is a facility that has been available to students for some time in the US. Here is the UK version: http://rateyourlecturer.co.uk/. This THES article describes the prospect of this site as bringing a ‘shiver of dread to academics and universities’. What do you think? How could this site be useful? What are the dangers? Curiously City University London appears to be absent from the site.
Interesting, and I note that “The initial results do not always suggest a sophisticated level of engagement.”
It is true that this system is certainly open to abuse and could be used in many superficial or pernicious ways. However, there has to be value in students having a space to give feedback and share views of lecturers who ultimately are responsible for delivering and shaping their HE experience. Perhaps this could be an awards system where students could nominate and celebrate their lecturers or something more like that.