argument9 【微观状态】高强作业

为了忘却的纪念UID: 2263082

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."
WORDS: 543          TIME: 上午 12:30:00          DATE: 2007-2-4

By citing the situation since fifteen years ago after Omega University(OU) adopted the teaching evaluate system, the arguer concludes that for the purpose of graduates to get better jobs, OU should terminate student evaluation of professors. Careful scrutiny will reveal this argument suffers from several fallacies and thus is unconvincing.

To begin with, the arguer unfairly assumes that the overall 30 percentage increase of average grade of students in OU is because of inflating, but gives no evidence to support that. It might be the case that after the professor evaluation system take effect, the professors have taken all methods to improve the teaching, thus ability of students has increased gradually and consequently the overall grade of students. It is prejudice to merely ascribe the increase of the grade to the cheating of the professors, without consider the possible effect of that method.

Furthermore, the arguer based on another assumption that employer will believe the grades at omega are inflated, using the evidence that the graduates in OU have not been as successful at getting jobs as students from Alpha University(AU). This actually shows little causal relationship between these two. First, the arguer fails to mention the situation about AU. Maybe AU has also taken the method of professor evaluation, in this case, the arguer's assumption that the high grade is because of inflate is groundless. Secondly, whether or not the graduate students could find a better job actually depends on a lot of factors of different university, like the research area, the ranking situation and so on. It is entirely possible that AU focuses mainly on the areas like computer and electronic, which is easier to find a job, while OU are focus on area like art and literal, which is not that easy. And, the arguer fails to mention if the grades of students from AU is really lower than the students from OU. If it is the case, the students from AU will be easier to find job is not because of the grades difference between these two universities. Without ruling out all these possibilities, hastily get to the assumption that the employer will think the students from OU inflate on the scores is questionable.

Thirdly, to enable graduates to secure better jobs includes a multitude of methods, while does not necessarily need to terminate student evaluation of professors, especially when considering it might be effective in improving the quality of teaching. OU could take into account several methods like invite more companies into campus recruit, help students to improve their ability of interview, open more useful courses aims at helping job pursue. On the other hand, whether the job is easy to find or not depends on some other factors like the overall economic of the market. Merely conclude to cancel a method that might take effect without distinguish will bring potential problems.

To sum up, the argument is questionable as it stands. To make it more convincing, the arguer need to further analyze the real reason that make the students not that successful in pursuing jobs. Whether or not to cancel the professor evaluation system is open to doubt until profound evidence could be given out that it could only bring harm without any help on the ability improvement of students.