Student Comments
With [Student Evaluations] collected each semester, asking a professor to teach students difficult material rigorously is akin to asking a condemned teacher to buy her own coffin.
D. Larry Crumbley
D. Larry Crumbley
What students have written about me in the past...
Here are what some of my former students have said about me. As always, my hope is to give potential students a chance to better understand what they're in for. If you're a potential student, maybe you'll see something that attracts you to one of my classes or maybe you'll see something that isn't compatible with your educational goals (if you're concerned about grades, you can actually find a summary of the grades I've given in the past here). I've noticed most students don't read my FAQ or any of the other things I've posted to help one do well in my classes. Nevertheless, if you're the type of student who maximizes your chances by learning about your instructors, I hope this helps!
I take all student comments seriously and I use them to gauge what's going on in my classroom; however, this doesn't mean that I understand them the way that the authors hope I will! For instance, students who write things like "too much writing for an X-level class," tell me I'm on the right track since I believe students aren't given enough opportunities to write in college as it is. This goes similarly for students who write things akin to "I had to spend too much time studying for this class." Again, this tells me I'm going in the right direction since students, as a whole, aren't studying as much as they ought, anyhow, and employers have noticed. I've noticed that when students complain about me making them write so much, they never, ever, mention the fifteen minute lecture I give them on how I worked in industry and how bad writing would prevent people from getting jobs, gaining more responsibilities and trust, or obtaining promotoins. I guess present pain isn't worth future gain in any way to these students <sigh>.
Even if I'm slammed, I don't mind typing it here since other teachers have had it worse. Currently, the ratio of cheers to jeers I receive is around seven or eight to one, with about half of the jeers being half-truthish (or worse) in nature (see below).
I take all student comments seriously and I use them to gauge what's going on in my classroom; however, this doesn't mean that I understand them the way that the authors hope I will! For instance, students who write things like "too much writing for an X-level class," tell me I'm on the right track since I believe students aren't given enough opportunities to write in college as it is. This goes similarly for students who write things akin to "I had to spend too much time studying for this class." Again, this tells me I'm going in the right direction since students, as a whole, aren't studying as much as they ought, anyhow, and employers have noticed. I've noticed that when students complain about me making them write so much, they never, ever, mention the fifteen minute lecture I give them on how I worked in industry and how bad writing would prevent people from getting jobs, gaining more responsibilities and trust, or obtaining promotoins. I guess present pain isn't worth future gain in any way to these students <sigh>.
Even if I'm slammed, I don't mind typing it here since other teachers have had it worse. Currently, the ratio of cheers to jeers I receive is around seven or eight to one, with about half of the jeers being half-truthish (or worse) in nature (see below).
Honestly, most instructors have a difficult time placing a ton of weight on reviews. While I appreciate the idea of reviews in theory, in practice they're often driven more by emotion than objectivity. Since I am not specifically attempting to help students feel better in the immediate (I care more about their futures), it's akin to asking someone purchasing an automobile to rate their car based on their buying experience alone rather than on the long-term use of the car, itself. It's especially bad for instructors, like me, who don't necessarily conform to a norm that students have come to expect. Also, there might be some evidence that indicates a negative correlation between evaluation scores and learning outcomes. Here are some of my thoughts on the matter for those who care to read.
In any case, these might help you, in some way, to determine whether I'm the right guy for you. Enjoy! (Note: If necessary, I've re-worded these a bit in order to disguise the institution or class for the sake of anonymity.) |