Ben Wieder reports that the U.S. Department of Education released a new guide to laws and rules colleges must follow to ensure e-reading devices and other emerging technologies are accessible to all students. It focuses on students with vision problems, a group whose access issues have triggered official complaints against colleges. If colleges use e-readers, or other emerging technologies, blind students “must be afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as sighted students,” according to the department. The department doesn’t discourage the use of emerging technologies but indicates that colleges should assess whether a new technology is accessible, or could be modified to be accessible, before using it. Colleges can offer alternative versions of a text or technology to students with disabilities, as long as the alternative is “equally effective and equally integrated.” This means that offering an e-text on a tablet device, such as the iPad, that has more options for the visually impaired, could be an effective alternative to an e-reader version. If you have questions, contact Callie Trahan in the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities. William R. Wilson, in his classic article Students Rating Teachers, makes the following statements about evaluations. "It is possible to secure from college students detailed and analytical judgements of their courses and instructors. They can be used in making comparisons on each of the points appraised. While the reliability and validity of these judgements are not known, the information is at least in a form that makes their study possible. Sampling is perfect since every member of every class requires a judgement. The number of ratings is large, reducing whatever unreliability results from scanty sampling. The information is from the student's point of view. It can be collected as often as is desirable with a minimum of interference with classes, and requires no visiting of classes." One of the most interesting aspects of his comments are that they describe a study conducted at the University of Washington in 1930. The issue of how to best use student evaluations has been around a long time. Best practices suggest that the evaluation process go on throughout the entire semester. In that way, instructors are not surprised by low scores or outrageous comments when it is too late to make changes or have a conversation about the issue.