Professors are people too: The impact of informal evaluations of professors on students and professors

Abstract

There are websites where individuals anonymously provide informal reviews of professors. What impact do such sites have on student and professor motivational factors? Research suggests that undergraduate students are affected (e.g. Edwards et al. in J Comput Mediat Commun 14:368–392, 2009; Kowai-Bell et al. in Comput Hum Behav 27(5):1862–1867, 2011). The goals of the present investigation are to (1) see if Master’s level students are also influenced and (2) investigate how professors are affected. We provided students (Study 1) and professors (Study 2) comments from an informal review website and they, respectively, took the perspective of a potential student or the professor described in the comments. In Study 1, consistent with prior research on undergraduates, Master’s level students were affected by the reviews (perceived control, outcome expectancies, affect toward taking the class, and likelihood of recommending to a friend), in accordance with the valence of the reviews. Among professors (Study 2), the valence of the reviews influenced affect and self-concept with respect to relational aspects of teaching (mood, affect toward teaching again, confidence that students liked them, and confidence that they would have rapport with future students) but did not have an effect on professor self-concept with respect to competence (teaching ability and teaching well in the future). Furthermore, preliminary evidence suggests that new professors are more susceptible than experienced professors. The results of these studies are relevant because of the degree to which students and instructors contribute to the socioemotional climate of the classroom (Frenzel et al. in J Educ Psychol 103(3):705–716, 2009; Radel et al. in J Educ Psychol 102(3):577–587, 2010).