Evaluate professors fairly, consistently, and intelligently

It's getting to be that time of year again: course evaluations. (I have written on this topic before.) Course evaluations are very important to faculty, especially assistant professors and visiting and adjunct professors. For assistant professors, course evaluations are the major metric that goes into determining if a professor's teaching is adequate. For a visiting and adjunct professor, course evaluations are the major determinant of whether or not the faculty member has a chance at receiving another employment contract.

While the importance of course evaluations are of less formal importance to associate and full professors (who have tenure), they still tell the faculty how the semester went and provide guidance for ways to improve the course. This information is also used by the area chair to determine teaching schedules and by the Dean's office in doling out pay raises.

In any case students should take the responsibility of evaluating professors seriously. Make an effort to attend class on the day that evaluations are given out. This is as true for students who have gone to every class period as it is for students who stopped attending class a long time ago. If you have not been attending the class because you didn't value the way the professor spent the class time, then you should definitely go to class in order to fill out a course evaluation. If you don't go to class and fill out an evaluation, then you might as well be giving the professor your full endorsement.

Every year several courses get much higher evaluations than they should get because so few students attend class. I have seen professors get a 4.5 in a course --- a pretty good evaluation --- but only 15 of 50 students have filled out the evaluations. This isn't a reliable sample, but it's the only one we have to go on, so we have to use it. It would be interesting to know how those 35 students who didn't fill out the evaluations would have scored the professor, but students, faculty, and the administration will never know.

If you think the professor did a very good job promoting learning during the semester, then give him or her a 5. If the professor was average, a 4 is appropriate. (Remember, an evaluation of 4.2 or above is generally considered acceptable by the faculty when reviewing teaching performance.) If the professor should have been better (for example, if he or she frequently got in the way of the learning process and didn't seem to attempt to improve), then a 3 or lower is appropriate (and disappointing to the faculty member, and a strong signal to the School).

You should not evaluate professors punitively. You should evaluate them all on the same basis, and you should complete the process thoughtfully. The evaluation is important to the faculty member; it is important to the School; and it is important to future students.

Sharing documents for group projects

Group projects are a way life here at Ross. Computers are also deeply embedded in our lives. Combine these two facts together, and you come to realize that students need the tools to share documents that they create in the completion of their group projects.

The University has made two quite powerful tools available to students to support this activity:

• IFS: This is the long-standing, well-established --- if not well known --- way that the University has supported file sharing among students. It works very well. I've used it for years.
• CTools: This is new this year. CTools allows every student to create a Web site for every group project that is similar to those you see in CTools for a course.
  1. Click on Workspace setup
  2. Click on "New"
  3. Select "Project Website" and then click on the "Continue" button
  4. Fill in the descriptive information on the next page, and then click on the "Continue" button
  5. Select whichever tools you want to use. Be sure to select "Resources" if you want to be able to share files within your group
  6. Publish the site
  7. Click on the Tab with the site name
  8. Click on "Site info" on the left
  9. Click on the "Edit access" button
  10. Click on "Add participant"
      1. Put the uniqname of each member of your group in the "Username" textbox
      2. Select the button "Assign all participants to the same role"
      3. Click on the "Continue" button
  11. Assign each group member the "Member" role
  12. Notify each participant (or not)
  13. Click on the "Finish" button
  This site is now available for sharing files among just these group members.

Of course, these tools are not perfect. However, they go a long way to providing the tools that can make group projects and the associated file handling much better.

A "concentration" at Ross

The Ross School of Business does not have majors. Your diploma will say "Bachelor of Business Administration" but it won't say "Finance major" or anything like that. Just "BBA". But for many, many purposes (e.g., resumes) students like to label themselves, to state what it is that they're interested in. At times like these, the lack of a major can be problematic.

So, what's a student to do?

Essentially it comes down to a self-directed course of study, and you let the market determine the outcome. If you want to call yourself a finance concentrator, but you only take one finance class, you can still say that you have a finance concentration. But during interviews companies will find out that you haven't taken enough finance classes and you won't get any finance job offers.

So, you can call yourself whatever you want with whatever number of classes you want, but you should back it up with the appropriate set of classes.

And just what is appropriate? In different areas, a different number of courses seems to be needed for a concentration. It's probably 2 or 3 courses after the required course(s) in an area; however, this is just a rough rule of thumb.

In my time as BBA Director I haven't been able to find any official or even unofficial documentation on this very subject. Since I think it would be useful for students to have some direction in this matter, I have been gathering information from faculty and as many sources as I can find. Over the next few months I will be gathering information from seniors to help this process along. We'll be publishing this information in a new BBA Web page at some point.

BBA Student Advisor

I am very excited to announce that the School has hired its very first Student Advisor, Robert Koonce. Robert started Monday, November 29.

Who he is

Robert comes to us with a wealth of experience:

• Dept of Education (Washington, DC), Office of Vocational and Adult Education
• Assoc Athletics Director of Academic Support and Career Development, University of Maryland -- College Park
• Asst Athletics Director of Student Services, Tulane University
• Asst Athletics Director of Academic Services and Recruitment, University of Pennsylvania
• Assistant Academic Advisor, University of Michigan
• Research Associate, Office of the VP for University Relations, University of Michigan

Robert also has an MA and PhD/ABD in Higher Education Administration from the UM School of Education.

The above skims the top of Robert's qualifications. He's also brings a dynamic presence, one that I'm sure will help the School reach out to a broader audience, including younger students, parents, and the rest of the UM community. Robert is already well-connected in the University, including Undergraduate Admissions, Student Affairs, Engineering, the Athletic campus, and many others.

Please help me in making him feel welcome.

What the position is

The purpose of the BBA Student Advisor position is to be a resource for students and potential students who have questions, concerns, or issues about academics at the Ross School of Business. Typical questions for the advisor from current BBAs would be the following:

• I'm thinking about going into corporate finance (or whatever you say). What courses should I take this semester?
• I'm a marketing major (or whatever). Are there any particular courses in other departments that I should think about taking?

The advisor is also going to be a resource for high school students and LS&A students who are interested in getting in to the Ross School.

What's the timing of all this

Robert will be getting familiar with the School and University during December. Starting in December he will be available for counseling. I'll have an announcement at the beginning of the next semester reminding everyone of this.

Appropriate classes for sophomores

Recently a student asked me what classes he should take in the Winter semester of his sophomore year. He already has taken Acc272 and he is wondering whether or not he should take one of the core courses (perhaps marketing or finance).

My answer: I don't think he should take them early. He should take the core courses with his cohort next year. They will provide a good support network (both for helping and commisserating) in these courses. So, what should he take?

• English: 225 (Argumentative writing) or 229 (Technical writing). Both of these courses would be great preparation for the business school and for work, generally.
• Stats: 350 (Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis). The business curriculum is analytically challenging. This course prepares you well for the analytical work you'll be expected to do in the business school. You should know that you will be required to take a statistics class in the Ross School; however, if you feel weak in this area, this course can provide you a good leg up on what you will need to do while you are at Ross.
• Econ: Any of the 300-level econ courses (if you have already taken both 101 and 102) provide very nice preparation and education in an area that is the foundation of the study of business.

Are there other courses that you might take that would be good courses? Sure there are. These are just ones that come most quickly to mind.

Other criteria that you should use when deciding what courses to take are the following:

• Take what you are interested in! If you're interested in the movie industry, take a course over there. If you're interested in sports marketing, take a course related to that. But, by all means, think about what you want to do with your life or, assuming you do not know what that might be, what you are interested in on a day-to-day basis.
• If you can, come into the business school with enough credits so that you can take just four classes in your first semester in the business school. This can make all the difference in the world in your experience --- i.e., it can markedly reduce your anxiety level.

That's just about it. Take what you want to; don't rush to get in to the business school; and take good classes that train you to think, write, and analyze. What bad can come of that?

Three great opportunities

One of the key phrases used in marketing the Ross School of Business is "co-creation". This has all the markings of an empty marketing phrase, and I don't blame you for thinking that it is. But it's not, at least in my thinking. This term refers to the ability for Michigan students to make their educational experience what they want to make it, and to contribute to the formation of that experience. We have tons of options for students. One graduate of the School can have a very different set of experiences than another graduate, both inside the classroom and outside.

I have been made aware of several great opportunities for BBAs recently. You should take a look at each one and see if one is right for you.

Studies in Washington

I am currently working with two separate organizations about setting up programs in which students take some classes in Washington, DC. One of them involves one week in the summer and the other involves a semester of working and studying in DC. There will be more later, but the Michigan in Washington Program is having an informational session on Thursday, November 11 from 4:30 until 5:30 in the Eldersveld Room on the 5th floor of Haven Hall (in the PoliSci department).

Domestic Corps

Another opportunity is with the Domestic Corps. As it says in their Web site:

We are a fellowship program providing MBA and BBA students with challenging, action-based internship opportunities with nonprofits serving economically distressed, culturally diverse communities throughout the United States.

The Domestic Corps' Annual Report features Joe Ament's (BBA 2005) story about his assignment in New York City. The story on pages 4-5 is by James DeVaney, BBA 2001. This program is one that many students have found to be fulfilling. You should check it out yourself.

Solar Car

The Michigan Solar Car Project is something that you can get involved with during the year. Michael Brackney, BBA 2006, is the Project Manager for the Solar Car this year. He is always looking for more quality people to contribute to his team. This opportunity, like the ones above, provide another way to distinguish yourself from the crowd.

While you're here at Michigan, I hope you find a way to make yourself stand out in a positive, fulfilling way.

A great benefit

One of the really fantastic things about my job is that I come in contact with some really great young people. One of them is Chris Stallman, a junior-year BBA. I met him the first week or so of the school year, and got to know him better when we had lunch. If I could trade on inside information without getting in trouble, I'd invest in Chris (and several other students every year). I'd make money without a worry.

He's had dozens, if not hundreds, of articles and stories done about him because of the Web site he started while in high school. Take a look at the latest article.