How to be a Popular Professor

Michael Agger wrote in slate about what happens when student ratings for college professors are viewable on line…and what they want from their profs…

“Don’t play favorites, yet don’t deny students extra credit or a second chance on a paper or test. Don’t “get sidetracked by boring crap.” Don’t refer to yourself in the third person. Don’t ever call on students. Don’t be “mean,” “hateful,” or “ambiguous.” Don’t take attendance. Don’t be “high on Viagra and full of yourself.” Don’t be “distractingly spastic.” Very important: Don’t talk about stuff in class and then put other stuff on the test.

Most important: Don’t give low grades. Do show slides. Do offer easy assignments. Do crack jokes and “provide a fun teaching atmosphere.” Do show up at your office hours. Do give A’s on all group projects. Do walk your dog around campus. Do resemble a celebrity of some sort. Finally, try your best to be “awesome.”