Online rating websites such as Ratemyprofessors.com (RMP) influence college professor and course selections. However, their use often sparks skepticism among instructors because of the self-selected nature of raters. Prior research on this topic in chemistry education concluded that RMP might be used as a valid source of supplemental information for evaluating instruction. The objectives of this study were to determine students' motives behind contributing to the site and to determine how students use the site to inform their decision making process. 500 General Chemistry students over the course of two years completed a 50-question survey addressing RMP use patterns. Findings suggest the majority of students use RMP and found it useful. Contributors' motives varied but were quite different from commonly held conceptions (e.g. They post to rant.). The contention is put forth that chemistry departments and professors may find a valuable supplemental source of information in RMP data.

Ratemyprofessors.com: General chemistry students' contribution and use patterns

245th National Meeting (2013)

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