August 3, 2011
Themes from SPRING 2011 Faculty Course Questionnaire Student Comments
This analysis, prepared by AMPA student Kirstin Michel, is based upon students’ feedback obtained from the UCD Spring 2011 Faculty Course Questionnaires. These questionnaires asked for open-ended comments about what students viewed as the most effective and least effective components of their course, as well as how students perceived the class could be improved. The categories are collected and summarized below, divided bytype of class: undergraduate, master’s level, capstone, and online. PhD-level classes are not included in this analysis due to the small number of students and classes.
Undergraduate classes
Undergraduate students found the following very effective:
- Creative, practical use of power point and presentation of course material
- Knowledgeable and passionate instructors
- Use of guest speakers/lecturers
Undergraduate students appear to be primarily concerned with their ability to learn key information delivered by the instructor. They overwhelmingly appreciated lectures and class discussion that drew from the instructors’ professional background, as well as the use of outside or guest lecturers. However, they increasingly expect instructors to utilize technology as a learning tool in their classrooms. According to the feedback, the most significant area of improvement was for instructors to include more opportunities for grades and feedback over the duration of the class.
Most Effective (5+responses) / Least Effective (5+responses) / How to improve? (4+responses)Presentation of course material / Power point slides/uninteresting lectures / More guest speakers
Use of power point / Textbook / More opportunities for grades
Instructor’s experience/knowledge / Student presentations / New instructor
Lecture / Poor structure/layout of course / Cancel fewer classes
Use of guest speakers& real life examples/application / Exams/texts contradicted themselves / Improve clarity of test questions/answers
Class presentations
Use of technology
Master’s level classes
Master’s level students found the following most effective:
- Clear, focused lectures
- Vibrant class discussion
- Instructor’s enthusiasm, accessibility, enthusiasm, and knowledge
Master’s level students pay very close attention to the quality of the instructor, including their accessibility and knowledge of the course content. In cases when lectures were built on material presented in readings (rather than simply restating the material), students felt that this was beneficial to their learning experience. Challenging assignments, group projects, guest speakers, and class presentations were also viewed as effective, as long as they were well structured and presented with clear objectives and grading standards. Similarly, these students enjoy engaging class discussions, so long as the instructor limits anecdotal diversions. The most frequently cited ways to improve included ensuring the course (and the syllabus) was well structured and that feedback on assignments was timely.
Most Effective (5+ responses) / Least Effective (5+ responses) / Ways to improve (5+ responses)Enthusiastic/accessible/knowledgeable/experienced instructor / Textbook / More opportunities for grades
Lecture content/structure / Lack of structure / Hire a new instructor
Class discussions / Readings / More class discussion (and less anecdotal participation)
Readings/texts / Lack of individual participation / More guest speakers
Handouts / Group project / More structure to lectures
Presentation of material / Long power points / Better syllabus (more detailed, clear, etc)
Guest speakers / Clear instructions for assignments
Group projects / New text
Case studies / More timely feedback
Assignments / More practical application
Class activities
Instructor’s feedback
Presentations
Online Classes
Online students tend to find the following most effective:
- Instructor’s knowledge and assistance
- Class discussions (discussion threads)
- Real-life application
Without face-to-face interaction, students heavily rely on the instructor to provide motivating readings and assignments, to skillfully moderate and participate in student discussions, and to provide frequent feedback on how students are doing. Online students tend to become frustrated when they do not receive timely feedback from instructors and when they feel the instructor is not adequately engaged in teaching the class. To be most effective, instructors who teach online courses should be aware that timely feedback is critical and that due to the impersonal nature of online courses, instructors should make sure to engage in the class and to be as accessible as possible. Further, engaged moderation of the online discussion threads was listed as the best to way to improve online courses.
Most Effective (5+ responses) / Least Effective (4+ responses) / Ways to improve (4+ responses)Readings / Textbook / Timely, substantive feedback
Instructor’s experience, knowledge, & assistance / Slow and lack of substantive grading and feedback / New book/text
Lectures / Too much work / More input from instructor during online discussions
Class discussions (& discussion threads) / Lecture / More media
Real life application / Power point
Textbook / Discussion board
Assignments
Use of multi-media (video, etc)
Memos
Capstone
Capstone students tend to find the following most effective:
- The independent nature of the capstone project
- Instructors’ assistance
Students enrolled in the capstone course tend to really appreciate the design of the capstone project: in other words, they enjoyed designing their own project. However, students made very clear their desire for increased class time as a means to share their progress, ask questions, and seek advice about what is a challenging assignment.
Most effective (6+responses) / Least effective (3+responses) / Ways to improve (4+ responses)Independent study/project / Handouts / More class meetings
Instructor’s guidance and availability / Lack of feedback / Make course longer
Clear expectations / Make good quality examples of a final product available to students