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 stu

The author tries to relate the teacher evaluation system introduced at Omega University fifteen years ago, to the campus recruitment statistics of the university. He says that over the fifteen years, teachers have been inclined to please the students by giving them higher grades, so that it will reflect positively of their evaluation reports. Though the author's argument seems logical at first, the inherent vagueness and the numerous assumptions made by the author render it specious.

Primarily, not much light has been shed on the teacher evaluation process that is being claimed to be the origin of all evil. The process could involve revealing the identity of the student or otherwise. Also, the nature of the questions asked in the evaluation is left to our imagination. The evaluation questionnaire could pose questions about the fairness of the exams conducted by the teacher. In addition to this, the author also fails to mention about the action taken on the teachers based on results of the study or how seriously these results were taken by the university administration.

One possibility that cannot be ignored is that the quality of students, that have chosen Omega University to pursue their dreams, has changed over the years. Better infrastructure, faculty and research achievements has attracted brighter students, is a plausible explanation for the increase in average grades.

The author mentions that potential employers believe that the grades at Omega are inflated and do not accurately reflect student achievement and therefore do not prefer to recruit at Omega University. What was the source of this opinion? Were the recruiters at the industry asked about this? Also, the comparison of Omega university with Alpha university, with respect to the success rates of the recruitment in both the campuses, does not seem appropriate taking into consideration the other evident differences between the two universities. Alpha university might offer industry oriented programs while Omega university might be a centre for research.

In summary, the arguments put forward by the author may fail to convince the administration of Omega university to restructure or remove the teacher evaluation process due to the absence of any substantial evidence to support his argument.