An online professor evaluation system was discussed at Tuesday’s Faculty Senate meeting.

Chris Deal, the Government of the Student Body director of academic affairs, gave a presentation on Pick-A-Prof to help professors better understand the system.

“I am here to ask for your support in this program, and for you to use it,” Deal said.

Pick-A-Prof is an online evaluation system that has since been used by more than 600,000 students and has reviewed more than 200,000 professors, Deal said. He said the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa both have recently started using the system.

The Web site would be helpful to both students and professors, Deal said. Pick-A-Prof was originally created for only student use, until professors started using it to see how students were rating them.

Pick-A-Prof includes information on course homework, tests and lectures in order to help students choose their classes, Deal said. He said the Web site gives professors the opportunity to post information about their class, themselves and their teaching style.

Pick-A-Prof is an independent rating service, which has caused concern about negative comments being posted, Deal said. Of the other institutions that have adopted the rating service, 75 percent of the comments are positive, because of a screening process the comments go through, he said.

Carol Roskey, professor of human development and family studies, said she was at the University of Georgia when a similar rating service was implemented. At first it caused concern, but it soon became useful, she said.

Dean Anderson, professor of health and human performance, was concerned about controlling the number of times a specific student can evaluate a teacher.

Although students’ names remain anonymous, their GPA, major and classification are viewable on the Web site with each comment, so if the exact same information reappears, it would be obvious that the same student was reposting comments, Deal said.

Pick-A-Prof is paid for by advertisements on the Web site, Deal said. He said all advertisements would be reviewed by GSB before being allowed on the Web site.