‘Tis the season—for course evaluations. At McGill, the online form asks students to effectively grade their professors, by identifying the degree to which they agree with statements such as, “Overall, this instructor is an excellent teacher.” These data are then made available to all McGill students, but open-ended feedback is[Read More…]
Search Results for "McGill Professors"
Letter to the Editor: The role of the Dean of Students
A student writes: “My sister is in the hospital—I’m going to miss a week of class, I have assignments due and I’m really struggling with my own mental health because of this. A friend told me that the Dean of Students can help—is this true?” While a core mandate of[Read More…]
How to make the most of office hours in the last few weeks of the semester
As the Fall semester comes to an end, students are frantically turning in term papers, taking their last round of midterms, and reluctantly beginning to think about their upcoming finals. While there is no magic solution for securing a high GPA, there is one resource from which all students can[Read More…]
When educators are undervalued, everyone loses
On Tuesday, Nov. 21, hundreds of thousands of Ontario college students returned to class as the province’s five-week college faculty strike finally came to an end. The 12,000 college faculty—including professors, instructors, counsellors, and librarians—had been on strike since Oct. 16. After all that, it’s hard to say who won.[Read More…]
Plan to procrastinate, studies suggest
It’s a Friday night, and a midnight deadline looms ahead. At 11:55 p.m., many students race against the clock to submit their assignments. Perhaps they’re scolding themselves for having again left homework to the last minute, or reflecting on the countless times this has happened before. More often than not, students are[Read More…]
Disclosure policies remain absent in SSMU and PGSS
Policies for safe disclosure, or whistleblowing, protect members of companies, unions, or societies who report misconduct within their organization. These policies strive to support members who report anything from financial mismanagement to harassment and assault. McGill University recognizes disclosures through its Policy on Safe Disclosures (“Whistleblowing”), adopted in November 2015.[Read More…]
Hiring discrimination exists—it’s time for universities to acknowledge it
In her Nov. 4 column in The Globe and Mail, Margaret Wente denounced the decision of Universities Canada, a national university lobbying group, to release the demographic data for each university faculty in a national database. Her argument is that universities have come to prioritize inclusivity over performance; hiring staff,[Read More…]
The mental health benefits of being organized
The concept of organization often conjures up the image of pastel bullet journals, meticulous desks, and obnoxiously-healthy salads stacked neatly inside an immaculate refrigerator. But for the majority of McGill students, whose busy academic and social lives often take priority over everything else, this interpretation of organization as an art[Read More…]
Early alert systems: The gap between conception and effects
As with any university, McGill has many students who want to do well and make a positive impression on those around them, especially their professors. The impression most students do not want to make is the kind that causes concern rather than admiration, and one that could culminate in a[Read More…]
Little Free Libraries: The story behind those yellow newspaper stands on campus
Little yellow boxes have sprung up across campus over the course of October, filled to the brim with books. Dubbed Little Free Libraries (LFLs), these renovated stands are a new initiative to foster a sense of community and promote a love of reading across the community. The mailbox-shaped boxes have[Read More…]
