Student Evaluations

Summary of Student Evaluations from Three Recently Taught Courses

 

Numerical Evaluations

 

For each of the following courses the students were asked to rank me on a 1 (low) to 6 (high) scale based on 12 statements.  I report the mean score in bold and in parentheses the mode score for each statement.

 

1.                              The TA was well prepared for classes.

2.                              The TA was well organized in presentations.

3.                              The TA knew the subject matter well.

4.                              The TA communicated the main points of the subject clearly.

5.                              The TA used teaching aids (board, handouts, film, slides) effectively.

6.                              The TA enjoyed teaching and was enthusiastic about the subject.

7.                              The TA seemed aware when students did not understand the material.

8.                              The TA made me feel free to ask questions.

9.                              The TA was easily available for consultation.

10.                          The TA was helpful and genuinely concerned about students’ progress.

11.                          The TA gave fair exams.

12.                          Overall, this is how I would rate the TA.

 

Animal Behavior, Biology 550, Fall 2004—47 students responding

 

1) well prepared—5.8  (6)                                            2) organized—5.8 (6)                   

3) knowledgeable—5.9 (6)                                           4) communicated—5.6 (6)

5) teaching aids—5.6 (6)                                              6) enthusiasm—5.9 (6)

7) aware of students—5.4 (6)                                       8) felt free to ask—5.6 (6)

9) available—5.6 (6)                                                    10) helpful—5.6 (6)

11) fair exams—5.3 (6; predominantly written by instructor)     

12) overall—5.6 (6)

 

Introductory Biology Laboratory I, Biology 100, Fall 2003—13 students responding

 

1) well prepared—5 (5)                                                2) organized—5.2 (6)                   

3) knowledgeable—5.2 (6)                                           4) communicated—4.5 (5)

5) teaching aids—5.1 (6)                                              6) enthusiasm—4.6 (5)

7) aware of students—4.3 (5)                                       8) felt free to ask—5.4 (6)

9) available—4.5 (5)                                                    10) helpful—4.7 (5)

11) fair exams—4.6 (4; predominantly written by instructor)     

12) overall—4.5 (5)

 

Introductory Biology Laboratory I, Biology 100, Fall 2002—23 students responding

 

1) well prepared—4.9 (5)                                             2) organized—4.7 (6)                   

3) knowledgeable—5.3 (6)                                           4) communicated—4.2 (5)

5) teaching aids—4.8 (5)                                              6) enthusiasm—5 (6)

7) aware of students—3.6 (4)                                       8) felt free to ask—4.7 (4)

9) available—4.1 (4)                                                    10) helpful—3.7 (3)

11) fair exams—4.1 (4; predominantly written by instructor)     

12) overall—4 (4)

 

 

Selected Written Comments from Student Evaluations

 

Positive Feedback

 

“Overall Elijah Goodwin was enthusiastic about teaching and understood the material well.”

 

“Elijah’s enthusiasm and knowledge about the subject make learning about it interesting and a lot easier than reading a textbook.”

 

“Elijah is great!! He is very knowledgeable and always willing to help.  It is great to have someone so dedicated to helping students learn.”

 

“Great TA.  Made class fun and interesting.”

 

“Elijah was always very enthusiastic during lessons, and very helpful and understanding.”

 

“The TA was always well prepared and enthusiastic.”

 

“The teacher was good and tried to motivate me”

 

“TA was well organized and knew the material very well.  He was a very hard grader.”

 

“I thought that Elijah was a good TA and helped us to understand concepts that [instructor name] was unable to.”

 

“He was enthusiastic in his explanations and teachings which made the course more exciting”

 

“The TA was very nice and an overall good teacher.  He explained the material well.”

 

“The TA explained everything and made sure that we understood everything before we left the lab room.  He made sure that if we didn’t understand what he was talking about he would explain again.”

 

“Elijah knows the subject matter really well.  He is always ready for class.”

 

“I liked the subject material and the TA.  Elijah was always very enthusiastic about teaching.  This is very important because it makes the student more interested and apt to learn.”

 

“He’s a nice guy and a good TA.  It’s not his fault the labs sucked.  I don’t care what people say, he’s not that hard a grader.  It is college.”

 

“The TA was nice and at least made sure we understood what we were doing.  He always explained things as many times as people needed until they understood it.”

 

“I thought Elijah was a good TA who seemed to care and know about the subject he was teaching.”

 

“I want to thank you for your enthusiasm and dedication that has reached me through your teaching.  You have taught me so much, not only as a student, but as a person as well.”

“Because of his positive disposition, reflective way of operating, and all of the character traits that make him so personable, Elijah’s questions never went unanswered.  He was incredibly easy to approach and always provided a spectacular grasp of the material we covered. His feedback was always overwhelming positive, and he did so much for the class and ensured we gained the most from seeking his counsel.”

“He is clearly passionate about his subject and offers students an open and encouraging learning environment. In the Animal Behavior course we were always attentive and engaged when he took over the class. This was because Elijah’s presentational style is informal and straightforward, and can maintain a gentle authority while showing respect for us as students. Furthermore, he was always making himself available if we had any questions about lecture material.”

Constructive Criticism

 

“Took too long to grade work and was a bit harsh in grading.”

 

 “The TA was good but graded very heavily making it really hard to do well.”

 

“He explained things in great detail, but I feel was unfair on grading.”

 

“I believe that you slowed class time down a couple of times in order to fill the complete 3 hours.  I don’t like the idea that faster groups should suffer for the slower groups in the class.”

 

“The organization of the lab was such [that] the students who understood the material and [were] able to complete the lab quickly were held up by the weaker students.  Not that the weaker students should be left behind but if there are students who can do it quicker, they should be able to leave early etc…”

 

“The only thing that I can criticize Elijah on is that he sometimes spent too much time working with particular groups that needed help, so we’d have to wait a long time to get help, and many times we all had the same kinds of questions, but he’d focus mostly on one group.  Other than that, Elijah was a really great TA.  Thanks!”

 

“The only problem I had was the strictness in the grading policy.  In other sections other TAs graded papers and lab reports less strictly.”

 

“TA needs to relax and let students work at their own pace and to the best of their abilities, rather than trying to keep the entire class at the same pace.”

 

For questions regarding these student evaluations, please contact Margaret Ludlam in the UMass Biology Department at margaret@bio.umass.edu.