Advances in Management and Applied Economics

I Feel Like Shooting Myself in the Face after taking this God-forsaken Class: The Effects of RateMyProfessors.com on University Course Registration

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• Abstract

  This study examines the effects of RateMyProfessors.com professor ratings on student decisions related to the Fall 2012 course registration period. Statistical techniques including ordinary least squares regression and survival analysis are employed to model course registration. We operate within an applied economic framework in which the supply and demand for course section seating capacity do not fully equalize due to various physical constraints as well as the existence of imperfect information. By further understanding the factors underpinning student decision making, university departmental management is better able to estimate changes in student demand. RateMyProfessors.com reported measures of overall quality, easiness, and attractiveness are determined to be positively related, in varying magnitude, to course enrollment.