The power of eWOM: A re-examination of online student evaluations of their professors

Authors:
Cong Li;Xiuli Wang
Affiliations:
School of Communication, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA;School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
Venue:
Computers in Human Behavior
Year:
2013

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Abstract

Over the past few years, a number of studies have examined the impact of the Rate My Professors (RMP) website (RateMyProfessors.com) on higher education. The focal area of examination is whether students' evaluations of their professors on RMP are valid. The current study attempts to push the RMP discussions to a deeper level through two studies. Study 1 illustrates that students rely on the valence of review information on RMP to make their course selection decisions without considering its validity. Study 2 shows that students' decision-making process tends to be biased as a result of review information available. The results of both studies suggest it is necessary for institutions to test new teaching evaluation models online.