In order to access their grades, students are required to complete course reviews at the end of each academic term. These reviews are currently reserved for internal use, serving various purposes depending on the department. They are not available for students, who would serve as the main beneficiaries of such information. A current Student Assembly initiative is attempting to remediate this situation and openly publish course reviews.
At an institution that prides itself on its strong academic history and has consistently ranked first in the nation in undergraduate teaching, Dartmouth students deserve to reap the greatest benefit from the highlights of their education. The Hacker Club course picker website is an insufficient resource when selecting classes. Given that Dartmouth already mandates reviews for each class, there is little incentive to complete an additional survey that Hacker Club requires to populate its database. Reviews are few and far between, making it difficult to garner information on many professors and classes. The publication of course reviews would provide the information necessary for students to make well-informed decisions.
Dartmouth is one of only three Ivy League universities that does not publish course reviews and, of the three, it is the only college that does not have an extensive alternative for such a resource. (Columbia University and Brown University both have student-run systems that provide a wealth of information for curious students). Instead, Dartmouth seems to rely heavily upon median course grades as an indicator of how appropriate a class may be. But grades can be vastly misrepresentative of a course and ultimately, are simply inadequate in providing a complete picture for potential students. A grade does not speak to the pace, style, difficulty or interest generated by the professor and the class, and rather encourage the mindset that courses should be taken in consideration of one's GPA. Instead of promoting broad and interest-based learning, classes are denigrated to a chore with a numeric outcome.
While the week-long shopping period offered at the beginning of every term is intended to allow students to give courses a trial run, this is not enough time to fully experience the overall quality or nature of a class. Course reviews, on the other hand, provide for a far more comprehensive look at a class based on the experiences of former students. This would benefit a variety of groups across campus. For example, athletes who must juggle rigorous practice schedules with their academics cannot afford to be negatively surprised by a class. Taking a class for which they are unprepared during an in-season term can be harmful both on and off the field, forcing them to choose one aspect of their Dartmouth career over the other. Freshmen, who already choose classes last and are often without upperclassmen guidance, approach their fall term blindly and can only hope for the best. Establishing a system by which freshmen are given more information would allow for a more positive academic introduction to Dartmouth. Similarly, international students who may be unaccustomed to the American collegiate system could benefit from having a wealth of information available to them in picking the classes that are appropriate and interesting.
Professors would also benefit from such publication. Rather than having a class composed of students who are unsure of what to expect or who enrolled based on a high median grade, making course reviews public could lead to a class that is more organically engaged and informed about the course material and teaching style. This may then translate into a more productive and educational experience for both the professor and the students.
Student Assembly's attempt to publish official course reviews should not and cannot be ignored by a student body that values its education and wishes to gain the most possible from their classes. Given the diversity of interests, learning styles and needs present at Dartmouth, the same diversity should be present in the resources available in choosing classes. Given that Dartmouth students are only able to take two to four courses each term, each class must count. Let us use our best resource, one another, when it comes to picking classes, and collectively make the most out of our educations.
