Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, Volume 3

Peter Beidler pointed out a few years ago that most people who become faculty were good at being evaluated in school, but did not become faculty because they particularly wanted to evaluate anyone else. In fact, he noted, some of the very characteristics that make some people good at getting high grades (such as ambition, competitiveness, and outstanding ability in the field) mitigate against their being interested in, or able to, grade others. As a result, many faculty find the evaluation of their students' learning (usually grading) the most onerous task of academic life.