Method Critque

In this method critique, you will write about and critique
the Maclean’s Survey of Canadian Universities and the Rate My Professor’s
website for ranking university professors. This exercise has to do with both
the methods and politics of research—how it is used, by whom, and why?

Many Canadian parents and students use the results of these
surveys for choosing schools and professors. However, a number of critiques
exist based on problems with method and ethics. For example, the Kingston Whig
Standard (April 29, 2006) reported that
“Queen’s University has pulled out of the June survey
of Maclean’s magazine of recently graduated students and is considering ending
its participation in the publication of the big fall issue…Several schools have
already pulled out of the survey, including University of Toronto, Ryerson,
McMaster, and Carleton universities. Queen’s Principal Karen Hitchcock said
yesterday the university’s main reason for pulling out was similar to that of
other institutions: methodology….We don’t like to participate in studies that
can lead to erroneous impressions.”

Spend some time on each of the sites to understand the
methods used by each. Write 1-2 pages describing Maclean’s Survey of Canadian
Universities and the Rate My Professor’s website including sampling (see
below), method of collection, and validity/reliability issues. Find one
critique of each and report on it (provide the references) along with answers
to the following questions:
·
Do you think that this is the best way to decide
which university to attend?
·
Is it the best way to understand the phenomenon
that is the modern university?
·
Is it the best way to decide/rank which
professors are the best?
·
How confident are you that these methods/results
would help you to decide on a university?
·
What are the ethics of these sites?
·
Should we see individual professors’ ratings?
·
Should we rank students publicly? Explain?
·
If not this way, then how would you study the
quality of universities in Canada?

Your paper should be
6-8 pages in total.

– http://www.macleans.ca/education/unirankings/measuring-excellence-2-2/
– http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ (Laurentian University of Sudbury when you enter this site)

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