FAQ – Rankings

What Do the Rankings Measure?

Rankings compare Course and Instructor teaching evidence for a selected Term and scoring configuration. They do not measure a person's overall worth or performance outside that evidence.

Where Does the Evidence Come From?

Teaching ratings come from UST Space and HKUST's Student Feedback Questionnaire (SFQ). Course titles and descriptions come from the HKUST Course Catalog, while current teaching and offering status comes from Schedule data.

Which Criteria Can I Use?

The available criteria are Content, Teaching, Grading, Workload, Course SFQ, and Instructor SFQ. Choose a preset or select Custom to assign non-negative weights to each criterion.

How Are Scores and Ranks Calculated?

Each criterion uses a Bayesian-adjusted rating so sparse evidence is pulled toward its population mean. The selected weights combine those adjusted ratings into one score. Rank is then calculated within the selected Term and activity population; Rank of All Time compares all known entities with a score by that Term.

Thumbs Votes, Emoji Reactions, and community Reviews are displayed separately and do not affect the current rankings.

What Do the Letter Grades Mean?

Letter grades summarize percentile position within the ranking population. A-range grades cover the top 25%, B-range grades the next 40%, C-range grades the next 15%, D the next 10%, and F the remaining 10%.

How Should I Interpret a Ranking?

Treat it as one evidence-based input, not a definitive judgment. Samples, confidence, selected criteria, and the comparison population all shape the result. Use Course and Instructor Details to inspect the underlying context before making a decision.

How Do I Request Access, Correction, or Account Closure?

Email the Privacy Contact at [email protected]. The same channel is listed on the Privacy & Community Policy page and in the site footer.

How Can I Send Feedback?

Email the Privacy Contact, or open an issue on GitHub.