I understand your argument Yo…
I too used to previously use the harsh critique philosophy myself as I came from a school of design that used similar methods. I learned only a few students would benefit from such techniques (which is usually the higher functioning better performing students) and the rest of the class is left without the benefit of the professor’s input. This is not good distributed teaching for the entire class and tends to overly focus the valuable criticism at the top I have found. I have since found a better way for students to understand how to improve their work and better objectify all of the take-aways contained in a good quality critique. Not all students are star performers (of course the students know this), but all students deserve value for their tuition dollars. This is where education has changed in the past 10 years. Big data informed professor evaluations are a part of this change as well.
The fear you describe comes not from the willingness to harshly criticize student work and performance. Instead this new relationship that professors now have with students through big data evaluations is really a more user centered approach to design education. I used to not even bother look at the evaluations, but have realized that they are part of what is similar to how I teach design research techniques to my students (i.e. data informed design). Leveraging data to better provide the service of design education has changed the way I approach teaching and critiquing. Leveraging this new tool (data) to improve and change the techniques I used to use in and out of the classroom exposed how the past methods did not keep up with the times. Generating after class chatter (which is all online now) about who was ripped a new one during critique is not productive I have found. There are indeed better ways with today’s digital natives.
And to all the students reading this thread, you need to realize that you are empowered to demand high performance from your design professor (harsh criticism or not). It is their job to find the time to give you feedback on your work, whether it is during a critique or during private office hours. Using end of the semester professor evaluations are an important tool in improving the experience that you are paying for. Do not take your data inputs lightly during your evaluations. It is using data (generated by you) to improve the design of your experience while at school.
As far as raised expectations go…I could not agree with you more Yo. This is what separates good professors from the run of the mill.