Evaluations needed for best performance

Every semester, professors are evaluated by their students in terms of preparedness, effectiveness, and competency. The data is then processed and filed away as classified, never to be revealed to the general public.

This needs to change.

One of the most difficult tasks at the University of Hawai`i is picking classes, especially since professors' teaching styles are almost entirely unknown prior to the first grade they issue.

A compilation should be made for each professor, available at every department office, on what professors' evaluations indicate.

That way, one could weigh a poorly-performing student's opinion against a well-performing student's, and decide which professor's style best suits him or her.

Although a professor's syllabus indicates what sort of class it will be, changing classes after the first day require students to play "catch-up" from the beginning.

By providing the results of the evaluations and student comments about the professor, students can make better decisions about their course of education.