It's happened to just about every Penn State student.

Almost everyone has had professors whose grading policies seemed unfair.

But students at 50 public universities across the nation will have the opportunity to avoid professors like these, thanks to Pickaprof.com.

By accessing the password-protected Web site, students at schools such as the University of Wisconsin can to view detailed information about professors and courses, including what percentage of students received each grade during past semesters.

Pick-A-Prof is funded by member universities, whose student governments usually decide whether to sign up for the service. Data on grading histories of professors is supplied by the school's administration.

During the fall semester, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Academic Assembly evaluated and voted against bringing the service to Penn State, citing cost and security issues as the main reasons for turning it down, said Laura Beck, chairwoman of the assembly's course evaluation committee.

"We felt that, for the most part, other services such as eLion and The Daily Jolt's course evaluator could achieve the same means as Pick-A-Prof," said Jennifer Tingo, vice president of Academic Assembly.

The Daily Jolt course evaluator (http://psu.dailyjolt.com/courseevaluator.html) allows students to view nearly 2,200 evaluations of courses offered at Penn State, ranging from general education to 400-level courses, said Mike Reynolds, moderator of the Web site.

However, unlike Pick-A-Prof, the service depends completely on student input and the university does not supply the site with any previous grade records. In addition, the university does not fund The Daily Jolt.

"A site that can help students evaluate a course can be a very valuable tool," Beck said. "A lot of times it's exactly what the student needs to help them benefit at the university."

However, the use of course evaluators like The Daily Jolt's has prompted a debate about the ever-changing effects of technology on a student's education.

"A site like that has the potential to be abused," said David Day, associate professor of psychology. "Students might be misled by the information, but it's their choice to take classes they think will be educational."

Some students said course evaluators are a valuable tool, especially during times of scheduling.

"I probably wouldn't use [a course evaluator] as a sole factor though," said Carlos Coronado (sophomore-electrical engineering). "Everything depends on your personal preferences."

If enough students express interest, Academic Assembly will reevaluate its choice concerning Pick-A-Prof, Beck said.

"Currently we're working with Daily Jolt to improve the course evaluator and make more students aware that it exists," she said.

Improvements may include updating the course listings and removing evaluations of professors who no longer teach at Penn State, Beck said.