Although Ohio State might top many lists, the Buckeyes are noticeably absent from a new ranking of top professors in the country.

RateMyProfessors.com recently released a list of the top 50 professors from colleges and universities throughout America. From OSU, 3,673 professors are ranked on the Web site and none of them were included in the top 50 list.

This is the first year that RateMyProfessor has compiled such a list, with MtvU planning to make the list an annual event.

“We didn’t really know what to expect going in, it’s never been done before,” said Jason Rezepka, director of communication for MtvU. “It was interesting to see the findings. We’ve been getting great feedback from students and schools from across the country.”

RateMyProfessors is a Web site where students can go and post criticisms or comments about professors. Students rank professors based on average easiness, clarity and helpfulness, with each professor being rated on a five-point scale.

The list was compiled using detailed statistical analysis from the last three years of student rankings from the Web site and with the help of a business professor from the University of Maryland, Rezepka said.

Robert Citino, a history professor at Eastern Michigan University, was ranked the highest.

“He has a great teaching style. He is fun to listen to, and keeps you interested. You should take him if you have the chance” said a student who ranked Citino on the Web site.

Steve Yao, who teaches dance classes, is the most rated professor at OSU, with 308 ratings from students and an overall rating of 4.9.

“I took both social dance 1 & 2 from Steve. He is a great teacher, funny guy and really breaks down the dance into its principle components so you learn it easily. I loved going to class. Our level 2 class was especially close. Definitely recommend him,” said a student who ranked Yao on the Web site.

Yao did not know about the Web site until four years ago when someone told him he was rated on it. He said he thinks it is a good way to get some feedback about a professor.

“I think it’s a nice, low-key way to get to know a professor,” Yao said.

But at the same time he said RateMyProfessor does have its drawbacks.

“It’s not a serious tool to measure a professor that has a bad rating so I’m not taking that class or that guy. That could just be a student who’s mad that day,” Yao said.

Robert Zellmer, a chemistry professor at OSU with a rating of 3.4, said he does not pay attention to his ratings on the Web site.

“I looked a long time ago. I know other people have looked, but I don’t really pay attention to it,” he said.

Zellmer said the Web site is not a helpful tool for students when deciding on what class to schedule.

“You certainly don’t get both sides of the story, whether their comments are good or bad,” he said.

Resepka said the Web site can be a useful tool, but it should not be the only one students use when making decisions.

“It’s really incumbent on the student to evaluate all the information at their disposal,” he said. “We don’t endorse just one method over another or just one method at all you should absolutely look at all information and use that to make the best decision.”

David McNeely can be reached at [email protected].