Spring 2002 CSCI 160 evaluation comments

This is CSB|SJU's evaluation form. I've written down the entire array of comments for the course, so they of course run the gamut. Giving you only a selection of comments would make it look better, but they wouldn't be representative. This gives a sounder idea of general student satisfaction.

CSCI 160 is our introductory programming course, the second semester in our majors curriculum, in which we introduce students to Java programming. I had two sections, with a total of 41 students. Thirty-seven were present to complete the forms.

  1. My DESIRE TO ENROLL in this course was...
    26Very strong
    10Strong
    1Moderate
    0Weak
    0Very weak
  2. The LEARNING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES for this course were...
    18Very clear
    14Clear
    5Somewhat clear
    0Unclear
    0Not provided
  3. OVERALL, in this course I LEARNED...
    21An exceptional amount
    14A good amount
    2An average amount
    0Little
    0Very little
  4. OVERALL, I rate this COURSE to be...
    14Excellent
    15Very good
    7Good
    1Fair
    0Poor

    WHY did you rate this course in this way?

    Excellent:
    Very understand and well taught course.

    I learned a lot about a subject that interested me.

    Learned a great deal.

    Because I came in knowing almost nothing and leave being able to code.

    Interesting.

    Sometimes difficult to understand.

    Great teacher, smart labs, good on-line notes, reviews, and quiz/test solutions.

    I learned a lot.

    Very good:
    Because I feel it taught me a lot about Java.

    It was informative and interesting.

    The one thing I would change would be the labs. I learn better with example programs and not having to follow the outline of a lab. Maybe one could instead just make a program of their choosing using the material covered.

    I learned a lot.

    Lots of material covered very well, never tedious.

    Sometimes the labs were so long and complicated that I didn't learn anything.

    Learned a lot and got good coding experience.

    It taught the basics of Java.

    The work was tough but good. Hard to ask Dr Burch questions outside of class and lab.

    Good:
    I didn't have a lot of desire to take this class.

    I learned a lot but I feel I don't really know the material in a solid way.

    More practice in class required so.

    Fair:
    It is boring, unengaging.

  5. OVERALL, I rate the INSTRUCTOR of this course to be...
    11Excellent
    14Very good
    11Good
    1Fair
    0Poor

    WHY did you rate the instructor in this way?

    Excellent:
    Very intelligent, knew everything, extremely organized

    He definitely knew what he was talking about and was always willing to help with questions.

    Very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. Great teacher and great person. Thanks.

    Very clear explanations... except when he started to explain the more math intensive sections: such as complex multiplication and big O notation.

    Knows what he's doing. Nice, easy to talk to, very willing to help.

    Very Good:
    Didn't explain his group work policy until 3rd lab then decided to tell us he considers it plagiarism.

    He was extremely knowledgable and very good at explaining problems and situations.

    Knew material extremely well. Sometimes talked above us.

    Taught material very well.

    Web page was helpful.

    The most organized man I've ever met. The online notes are something every prof should do. They were a tremendous help.

    He knew his stuff.

    Knowledgable, helpful, planned/organized classes/labs well.

    Carl is a smart guy and really knows his stuff, but sometimes can't quite nail a point.

    Sometimes hard to approach with questions. I did like the on-line notes.

    Extremely knowledgable. Somewhat approachable.

    Knowledgable, approachable, that great computer science humor.

    Good:
    Just felt that way.

    Very smart and organized. Was also very willing to answer questions. However he wasn't always successful in giving us an understandable answer.

    As stated before but just in case you did not read the first comment. Carl Burch is a professor that knows his material. The only suggestions I would make is that he make a little more effort to connect with students at the very beginning of the semester and offer encouragement. At times I battled with his course and changing my major, however, I visited Dr Burch later in the semester and he seemed more connected with me as a student. Because of his expressing natural concern and advice in our talk, I was able to readjust and reconsider. Great professors, think, feel, and encourage. Never forget that. Dr Burch overall, did a good job.

    The instructor had a hard time answerning my questions. Maybe he felt as though I was just trying to get the answer when I just wanted clarification. [Presumably this student is talking about questions asked during tests, or perhaps labs.]

    Hard to ask questions. Really didn't relate to us and sometimes hard to follow, he is just too smart.

    Fair:
    He wasn't too personable on an individual level when asking for help.

  6. Other comments:

    Instructor was very professional with on-line notes and well written labs. I felt it was a little hard to ask clarifying questions during class. I wish exercises were easier to finish within the given time.

    Prof Burch - I think you're an excellent teacher and the website is very useful and helped out a lot.

    The online notes were extremely beneficial. I hope more CS profs do as Dr Burch does.