The Logo (student-written professor and course evaluations)

The Logo is presently being institutionalized as on online system, under the direction of the EPC.

Work in Progress
During Spring 2010, Hampshire student Zeke Nierenberg will be coding the Logo.


 * The Logo S10 Work Space

History
(The following was written by Rebecca Saunders, F95, in the very first paper version of the Logo)

What The LOGO Is

What you have here is an experiment. We sent out surveys last semester to as many students as we could reach in an attempt to get an accurate picture of Hampshire professors and their courses. Then we edited together all the responses, crunched the numbers, formatted the whole lot and this is the result. The descriptions in this publication are not intended to be taken as absolute judgments. Rather, they are a compilation of opinions and ideas expressed by students who had first hand experience with each class.

This is not a new idea. Lots of colleges do this type of self-evaluation - Hampshire's academic committees and administration have been occasionally handing out surveys since day one. The difference is this: now the students are in charge. This is of course the way it should be at Hampshire, an institution dedicated to the idea that students know what is best for themselves, that they are capable of making the important decisions about their educations. To quote the 95-96 course guide:

In 1970 students first came to Hampshire College to take part in an extraordinary new venture in liberal arts education. It was based on a single, compelling belief that the most meaningful and lasting education is shaped by a student's own interests. According to this view, education is not something imposed upon a student, but a process that each student initiates and actively pursues.

Unfortunately, one lone student in search of her education can only accomplish so much. Obviously, you can't do anything unless you have information. And since there are certain things we all wish we knew more about, it seems appropriate that we students should pool our resources to sort out the information...

Why The LOGO Is

So lack of information is the first reason for The LOGO. The second has to do with improving the community by way of each individual reevaluating their goals. We hope that by the mere act of filling out each survey, students will have another chance to evaluate their own educational goals and be more inclined to discuss what it means to get an education at Hampshire. This discussion is what makes Hampshire thrive and is why it exists. We are all in our individual worlds, obsessed with our individual projects - the only reason we should be near each other is so we can talk about what makes our individual experiences good or bad - what works and what doesn't. For me, self-reflection, insight and dialogue are the best ways to improve my life. I believe these things are also necessary for the improvement of an institution or community's life.

Some of us had another serious agenda underlying this publication. We understand that it is the student's responsibility to make Hampshire live up to its idea of educational experimentation. In its first five years, Hampshire was truly an alternative to traditional colleges. Since then, its been creaking its way toward the mainstream. Cases in point: 2-course options, policies on the minimum amount of time in each division, the hiring of new faculty who are never acculturated to Hampshire, no pets, etc. We decided the best way to get Hampshire back on track is by initiating experiments such as this one and by demanding and doing a lot more evaluation of Hampshire's mission, faculty, administration, students, etc...

Another reason we wanted to put this together is because it is a way to show the faculty how much we want from our educations. They will be reminded of the fact that we know how important they are to our educations at Hampshire. And they will be reminded of the fact that if they suck, we won't stand for it.

Here's some advice on how to make use of the information we've presented to you here: Don't use The LOGO to find the good courses (since many don't repeat anyway), use it to find out which professors you want to work with. If their teaching style isn't the best way for you to learn, suggest alternate methods from day one. Initiate the dialogue. Students are the only ones who can do it and the only ones to blame if things aren't good enough... (p.5-6)

As I am finishing this editorial and trying to get The LOGO to the printer, the first annual student-led national conference on alternative higher education was finishing up in ASH. A group of Hampshire students got together with students and alums from other alternative colleges to talk about how our institutions are doing and how we can collaborate to make them more successful. We discussed how alternative methods of education have prepared us so well for the world we live in, better than any traditional college ever could. But without constant experimentation and self-evaluation, better communication and outreach and better use of resources, these institutions and programs will be crushed under the weight of their own potential - many of them, like Hampshire, are straining under the weight. This generation of students is the only one that can keep them standing.

As I said before, The LOGO is an experiment. The success of the experiment will be based on two things: Is the publication accurate? and Does the community want it? We'll know when we hear from you.

We decided it was important to tell about some of the reasons why we wanted to make this publication and some of the problems we encountered during the process. I also took this opportunity to spout off on how I feel about a Hampshire education - these are my views and not necessarily those of the group.