MTH1265 - RESULTS OF SECOND ONLINE COURSE SURVEY - APRIL 2007


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Note from Greg: READ ME FIRST
Tips to help you understand the stats
Overall results at a quick glance
Survey questions
Students' written comments

See previous course surveys
Back to Greg's Homepage
 


Note from Greg

" Thanks to those who participated. Four students out of the class of 18 responded (approx. 22%). This response rate iis higher than before (first survey was an 11% response rate), but again, I'm not sure this is representative of the class as a whole. Regardless, I have posted the results here for your information and I will "glean" from it what is constructive and apply it in future sessions of MTH1265. There's always room for improvement!

Overall, feedback was positive (except where noted) in all areas: content, presentation, student attention, interaction, information, work overload, class management, and course outcomes.

Thanks for your efforts. These surveys not only help me become a better instructor, they benefit you too! You have been an active participant in improving your learning environment and this will give you food for thought in future courses. As promised, these survey results are now a public document (linked from my homepage at http://homepages.cambriancollege.ca/gbcooper   ). I'll also be notifying your program coordinator and our Dean of the results. I intend to use survey data in future classes (hopefully, ones with you!) and I'll encourage future MTH1265 professors to take a look when planning this course."..........................Greg

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Tips to help you understand the stats

  1. "N=4" refers to the sample size, or the number of students who answered the question(s).
  2. The "-" column refers to the number of students who chose to NOT answer that particular question.
  3. The "Mean" represents the average response for that question. For example, a mean of "1.5" means the average is somewhere between a "1" (I strongly agree) and a "2" (I agree somewhat).
  4. The "SD" or "standard deviation" refers to a measure of how widely dispersed the values are from the average value (the mean) based on our sample, which is relatively small (N=18) It's like a "plus or minus" value that qualifies the range of each mean.
  5. The "median" is the "midpoint" between the highest and lowest value of the responses. (1,2,3,4, or 5 corresponding to a,b,c,d or e)
  6. The "mode" is the most frequent value or values of the response (a,b,c,d, or e)

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Overall results at a quick glance

a = I strongly agree, b = I agree somewhat, c = I'm neutral, d = I disagree somewhat, e = I strongly disagree

Title N Frequency Mean SD Median Mode
- a b c d e
 1CO course is excellent? 4 0 0 2 1 1 0 2.75 0.96 2.5 b
 1CO expectations are clear 3 1 1 2 0 0 0 1.67 0.58 2.0 b
 1CO explains concepts 3 1 0 1 1 0 1 3.33 1.53 3.0 `,b,c,e
 1CO gives overview 3 1 1 2 0 0 0 1.67 0.58 2.0 b
 1CO instructor is knowledgeable 3 1 0 2 0 1 0 2.67 1.15 2.0 b
 1CO learning something 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 2.00 1.00 2.0 `,a,b,c
 2PR classes are not stimulating 3 1 1 1 0 1 0 2.33 1.53 2.0 `,a,b,d
 2PR sense of humor 3 1 1 1 0 1 0 2.33 1.53 2.0 `,a,b,d
 2PR use web site 3 1 1 2 0 0 0 1.67 0.58 2.0 b
 2PR web site useful 3 1 0 1 1 1 0 3.00 1.00 3.0 `,b,c,d
 3IN invites feedback 3 1 2 1 0 0 0 1.33 0.58 1.0 a
 3IN marking is fair 3 1 1 2 0 0 0 1.67 0.58 2.0 b
 3IN material returned on time 3 1 1 2 0 0 0 1.67 0.58 2.0 b
 3IN respect for students 3 1 2 0 0 1 0 2.00 1.73 1.0 a
 4OV hard to know what's important 3 1 0 1 1 0 1 3.33 1.53 3.0 `,b,c,e
 4OV not good use of class time 3 1 0 1 1 0 1 3.33 1.53 3.0 `,b,c,e
 5CM deals with disruption 3 1 1 1 0 1 0 2.33 1.53 2.0 `,a,b,d
 5CM helps students succeed 3 1 0 2 1 0 0 2.33 0.58 2.0 b
 5CM instructor is organized 3 1 0 3 0 0 0 2.00 0.00 2.0 b
 6OB learn outcome1 3 1 3 0 0 0 0 1.00 0.00 1.0 a
 6OB learn outcome2 3 1 3 0 0 0 0 1.00 0.00 1.0 a
 6OB learn outcome3 3 1 3 0 0 0 0 1.00 0.00 1.0 a
 6OB learn outcome4 3 1 2 1 0 0 0 1.33 0.58 1.0 a
 6OB learning outcome 5 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 2.00 1.00 2.0 `,a,b,c
 7LO survey was clear 3 1 3 0 0 0 0 1.00 0.00 1.0 a
 7LO uses previous surveys 3 1 0 3 0 0 0 2.00 0.00 2.0 b

 

Key to understanding survey question categories:

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The Survey Questions

An "a,b,c,d,e" scale was used for survey question responses, using the following:

a = I strongly agree, b = I agree somewhat, c = I'm neutral, d = I disagree somewhat, e = I strongly disagree

The questions that were used on the survey were:

General Questions:

  1. Overall, I would rate this course so far, as "excellent".
  2. I have a clear idea of what I am expected to learn.
  3. The instructor explains concepts clearly and effectively.
  4. The instructor gives an overview of what is going to take place at the beginning of the class so students know direction & purpose.
  5. The instructor is knowledgeable on the course material.
  6. Overall, I am learning something in this course that is valuable now, and will be later, after I graduate.
  7. The classes are not stimulating.
  8. The instructor maintains a sense of humor and applies it in an appropriate fashion.
  9. The Web site(s) are used effectively in this course. (e.g. WebCT, external web sites, etc.)
  10. The Web site(s) have provided me with important learning & information resources in this course. (e.g. WebCT, external Web sites, etc.)
  11. The instructor invites feedback from students and accepts constructive criticism without becoming defensive.
  12. Evaluation of course work (labs, assignments, tests, etc.) has been fair.
  13. Course material (labs, assignments, tests, etc.) has been returned in a reasonable time.
  14. The instructor treats students with respect.
  15. It is hard to know which material is important.
  16. The instructor does not make good use of class time.
  17. The instructor deals effectively with disruptions in class/lab activities.
  18. The instructor helps students meet objectives and achieve success.
  19. The instructor conducts organized and well-planned class sessions.
  20. The questions in this survey were worded clearly & concisely.
  21. Overall, constructive feedback from previous surveys has been acknowledged and effectively implemented in the course.

Course-specific Questions

  1. I am comfortable with and competent at solving quadratic equations.
  2. I am comfortable with and competent at solving problems using the Remainder Theorem and the Factor Theorem.
  3. I am comfortable with and competent at solving problems related to direct and inverse proportionality.
  4. I am comfortable with and competent at solving problems related to exponential functions, growth and decay.
  5. I am comfortable with and competent at solving problems related to logarithmic functions.

Written-Comment Questions

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Students' written comments

One thing I like about this course:
One thing I dislike about this course:
One thing that would improve this course:
I have an additional comment:

One thing I like about this course:

User ID Response
2 i like math that's it !
3 i like that Mr. Cooper give us a chance to tell him what we think. He takes it as constructice criticism when we think something is being explained wrong. Sometimes i think he should get mad at some people for second guessing his methods.
Thanks for the vote of confidence BUT...my job is to figure out how to explain those concepts. It isn't so much "second guessing" as it is "feedback" if it's constructive, IMO....Greg
4 Time is used effectively. Multiple tests instead of a final exam. This allows for easier remembering.
Hope the "four small tests" format worked for you....Greg

One thing I dislike about this course:

User ID Response
2 The teacher takes to long to explain sometimes its like s**t or get off the pot ! some peopel want to learn and he gets distracted with useless questions and takes a long time to answer those.
Correct. As was pointed out previously, I need to improve on "keeping it on track and simple"...Greg
3 A lot of the students second guess some methods that shouldnt be second guessed, they need to trust the teacher.
I agree with the "trust" part. See my comment above about the "second guessing" part....Greg
4 Not alot of new material has been taught. Alot of it was covered in my grade 12 class. Not sure if my grade 12 class was advancing to college material, or vise versa.
The intent of this course and previous math course (MTH1130) is to ensure you have the necessary pre-requisite math skills (ie: the equivalent high-school credits) before entering the post-secondary Trades and Technology programs at Cambrian. Yes - this is material you SHOULD have covered most of in senior high school. This program benefits those who may not have completed high school....Greg

One thing that would improve this course:

User ID Response
2 explain short and sweet one problem without interruptions from start to finish then ask questions !
4 Nothing.

I have an additional comment:

User ID Response
1 teacher is excellent, just class time should be extended.maybe have one whole day of math instead of one hour here two hours there.
2 no
4 When explaining to us how to do a certain form of equation, give an example using letters (a, x, etc.), and then do the exact same question again but use numbers this time. Keep both equations on the board and just refer back to one another when someone has a question about it. Also if possible, you should try to be a little more organized when doing your examples on the board. Only because its hard to follow if it's jumping back and forth to different little available spaces.
Yes, I agree with the "jumping around" part. It was mentioned previously in class about being neater on the blackboard. I hope this improved....Greg

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