A new academic planning site combining AU’s course catalog and student input will aid users in selecting future courses, according to Student Government President Andy MacCracken.
CourseRank combines the student evaluations of teaching found on the AU portal and Ratemyprofessor.com, MacCracken said.
“CourseRank really makes a more standardized and formal way to share your views on what the classes are,” he said. “You have incentive for accurately saying what your grade was on there and rating what your experience was because you can also use all that information as an academic planning tool.”
Upon first logging in, students are prompted to rate three classes they have previously taken via a five-star system.?Users can write an assessment of a professor or a class and share their final grade. They can also search for classes they are interested in taking to see what other students thought of the class and professor.
A schedule and planner are also available on the site.
MacCracken said he was first approached by the site’s creators early last fall. He ultimately decided to participate because it is more AU-specific than other options and free to the university, he said.
MacCracken is currently working with the University Registrar for possible integration. He also said SG officials are aiming to get all class syllabi online for prospective students to see.
The brainchild of three Stanford University students, the site has now expanded to 18 other universities. George Washington University is the only other Washington D.C.-area university to subscribe to the site.
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