Staff Editorial: Welcoming back the Course Review

Last month, we called for the return of the Penn Course Review. We said that the guide was a tremendous asset for students in navigating class schedules and for holding professors accountable for their teaching practices.

At the time, the Undergraduate Assembly, the Student Activities Council and the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education were just beginning discussions about putting the course review back together. Despite not giving themselves much time, they put together a committee, held an organizational meeting earlier this month and declared that the review would be online in time for the beginning of advance registration.

True to the committee's word, the Penn Course Review is now back online. Although the Web site does not contain ratings for Wharton classes and is still without the quotes and comments that helped make the book so popular, the Web site is significantly more comprehensive and current than the previous incarnation. It offers useful search functions and even gives ratings for recitation sections and teaching assistants.

The UA, SAC and SCUE have taken a very important step with the re-creation of the course review. Their efficient work has ensured that when students fill out course evaluations later this semester, their compliments and complaints will not go unheard. Perhaps more impressively, these student government bodies have made this information available to students free of charge, a marked change from the days when the book was sold for $15 at the Penn Bookstore.

There is still some work to be done on the Web site. Students in Wharton should also be able to access this information, and Web site administrators say business school classes will be added later this fall. The committee is still struggling to recruit staffers to ease the workload and ensure that the resurrection lasts beyond this year. And bringing back the commentaries and quotes will give students a more well-rounded impression of the professors they read about.

However, these minor issues should not take away from the work done to put the Penn Course Review back online in an orderly and timely manner. The three student government bodies and the committee they helped form should be thanked and commended for their hard work. The Penn Course Review is an asset to the entire student body, and we hope that it remains available for years to come.

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