Check Out Best, Worst U-Dub Courses On Web Site

A comprehensive list of what University of Washington students consider the school’s best and worst courses will now be available on the World Wide Web.

Student-generated evaluations of about 3,000 classes - all searchable by subject or teacher name - will be available at the point and click of a mouse within the week.

The Course Evaluation Catalog listing is sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of Washington and is being formatted for the Web by the university’s computer department.

“It’s a very important tool to students when they’re making decisions about classes,” said Alexis Babcock, the ASUW representative overseeing the project.

Course evaluations have long been public record but, in the past, a student would have to order the results for a specific course and pay the university $1 for the paper printout. Now it’s as easy as surfing the Web.

The Course Evaluation Catalog rates each course and instructor on six categories ranging from course content to instructor effectiveness. Boxes indicate what percentage of students thought the course or instructor was “excellent” to “very poor.”

The written comments that students fill out as part of the course evaluations are not included on the Web site.

“I just felt that they were a little too personal,” said Gerald Gillmore, director of UW’s Office of Education Assessment. “They’re something that the student is writing directly to the professor.”

The faculty seem to be unfazed at the prospect of having the student-generated ratings on the Web.

“It may not have been on the worldwide Net before, but there have been written evaluations for years,” said Joan Martin, chairwoman of the Faculty Senate. “It just makes it easier for everyone who has access to the Internet to get it.”

Planning for the Web site began three years ago and Babcock said he wants students to use the online tool in time for spring registration.

The University of Washington course catalog can be found at: http://www.washington.edu/cec/

UWave can be found at: http:/ /weber.u.washington.edu/(tilde)uwave/