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

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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 student grade averages at Omega have risen by 30 percent. Potential employers, looking at this dramatic rise in grades, believe that grades at Omega are inflated and do not accurately reflect student achievement; as a result, Omega graduates have not been as successful at getting jobs as have graduates from nearby Alpha University. To enable its graduates to secure better jobs, Omega University should terminate student evaluation of professors.
Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.

The writer recommends that Omega University terminates student evaluation of professors to enable its students secure better jobs. It is clear that Omega University would want to maintain a good image with potential employers and the society at large and they also would want their graduates gain employment. While the writers goal is appealing, It is based on unjustified assumptions and the university management will have to consider it carefully before adopting it.

The author cites evaluation of teaching effectiveness of all their professors as the major reason behind the institution of the procedure and thus, cannot afford to discard it without proper evaluations. The writer would have corroborated his argument by telling us how the university has evaluated the effectiveness of this procedure over these fifteen years, and the outcome of such evaluation. If in the evaluation, the school discovered that the procedure is not meeting its objectives then it will be in the interest of all to abolish it, otherwise, the argument presented will be greatly undermined.

Additionally, the writer states that the professors began assigning higher grades in their classes which led to an increase in overall student grade averages. The fact that overall student grade average has increased this period does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the procedure implemented. The writer should have told us if the university implemented other procedures or policies, for any of them would have had impact on the students' grades.

The writer also fails to tell us on an individual basis, how many students have seen their grades improved this period compared to previous results before the implementation of the procedure. The argument would have been strengthened it can be truly established through these numbers, that a significant number of students have seen their grades improved over this period.

Finally, the university cannot afford to scrap a process it instituted fifteen years ago because of unsubstantiated public views on its professors and the school in general. The essence of the tool was to improve the quality of teaching which would have direct effect on the grades of students. It could also be that the process has given students the boldness to ask questions that would help them understand the subject better.

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No. of Different Words: 187 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.395 4.7
Average Word Length: 5.196 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.82 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 148 100
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Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 26.643 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 4.352 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.571 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.366 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.636 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.143 0.07
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