=七月流火=小组第5次小组作业 Argument 9 by maggiegu1019

maggiegu1019UID: 2683879

TOPIC: ARGUMENT9 - The following appeared in a memorandum from a dean at Omega University.

"Fifteen years ago, Omega University implemented a new procedure that encouraged students to evaluate the teaching effectiveness of all their professors. Since that time, Omega professors have begun to assign higher grades in their classes, and overall student grade averages at Omega have risen by thirty percent. Potential employers apparently believe the grades at Omega are inflated; this would explain why Omega graduates have not been as successful at getting jobs as have graduates from nearby Alpha University. To enable its graduates to secure better jobs, Omega University should now terminate student evaluation of professors."


Resting on a unwarranted assumption, considering a false analogy and synthesizing some hypothesizes and unwarranted evidences, the arguer recommends that terminating student evaluation of professors serves as a channel to enable the students to secure better jobs. However, the argument is fraught with vague, oversimplified and unwarranted.

Firstly, the argument rests on a gratuitous casual relationship. The arguer draws an assumption that the higher grade of the students derived from the evaluating of the teaching effectiveness. While, there exists no evidence to show that the assumption is right. The evaluation by the students may do exert an unrelenting effect in the boosting of the teaching effectiveness of professors. The professors are working much harder than they used to be for getting a better evaluation. Or the thirty percent improvement of grades may result from the students are more diligent than they used to. It still possibilities that the examination now in not so difficult for the reason of releasing pressure of students.

Secondly, the argument commits a fallacy of false analogy. There exists a world of difference between Omega University and Alpha University. There even no mention whether the Alpha University implanted the procedure of evaluating the teacher effectiveness of all professors. Maybe they do this too, in that the grades are not related to the procedure. The two universities may diversified in many aspects ,for instance, the major fields, the educational facilities, the teaching level of professors and even the environment and climate around the university. It is possibility that the Alpha University is major in computer science which is so popular today while the Omega University is an arts university which is not so hot in contemporary society, and in this situation the graduated of Omega University secure better careers than the other arts Universities.

Thirdly, the insufficient evidence provided in the argument fails to lend a solid validate. There exists no evidence to show that the grade is co-relationship with pursuing better job. To get a better job ,there are many other factors should be taken into account ,such as the computer skill, the extra knowledge with the career they pursued, the ability of communication ,the attitude toward pressures. The arguer presents no detailed statistical figures to prove that the graduates in Alpha University are better performed in pursuing careers than those in Omega University. Maybe it is only the arguer's subjective intention.


The argument commits a fallacy of hasty generalization. Insufficient evidences provided in the argument fail to lend a solid validate to the conclusion that terminating the student evaluation of professors can guarantee better jobs. Only through these simple evidences, how can the arguer make us believe the conclusion, there may exists other channels, such as offering career pursuing lessons to the students by the virtue of which boosting the competitive ability, rearranging the academic course in the university to cater for an increasing employment.

As it stands, it sounds unreasonable. To make it logically acceptable , more evidence should suppose to demonstrate that the evaluation of the effectiveness of professors do have negative effect on the improving of the grade of students and the company do consider the grade of students as a criterion when the students pursue careers.