Student comments from EPID600 Fall 2011
(in order by date submitted -
click here for random order)
(About student comments)
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1:
“Plenary sessions need to be more planned. Some have been very
useful and stimulating (HIV discussion), but others have just
reiterated the information in the recorded lecture and didn't
add to my understanding. It seems that recitations are a better
place to answer questions about topics that are not well understood.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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2:
“i don't think the plenary is very helpful. then again, i've
only attended once.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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5:
“I enjoy it, it is just very time consuming. I feel like it
should be 4 units.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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6:
“I really like the textbook for this course, and find it helpful
to better understanding the case studies and case study readings.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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7:
“Epidemiology seems to be a strange marriage between biostatistics
and research.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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10:
“Angela is a huge help for this course. She is very approachable,
and breaks concepts down to help make them easily understandable.
Her powerpoints are very helpful.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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12:
“While Professor Schoenbach clearly demonstrates exceptional
knowledge and mastery of epidemiology, I wish that the way
he lectures would be more straightforward. For a few of the
slides on module 5, I was confused by his wording (particularly
on counterfactuals and advantages of randomization).”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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13:
“I enjoy the format (online lecture, classroom discussion &
clarification), but I think the format makes the classroom
lectures long, and they sometimes seem to lose focus. Implementing
poll everywhere was a good idea”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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14:
“There's so much to learn in this course but I the workload
is manageable so far.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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15:
“I wish Vic wouldn't spend time going over CS questions during
plenary - we have time to do that during recitation, I'm more
interested in application of epidemiology, things going on
in the field, the history of it, etc.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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16:
“there is too much going on and its hard to discern what we
need to know and what is expected of us. this is in general
in the course and then more specifically with case study questions.
It's sometimes hard to know what the question is and then when
I see the answer, I never would have gotten that because I
didn't think thats what the question was looking for.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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19:
“I enjoy the focus on applied epidemiology (especially the section
of The Age of AIDS. The course is sometimes a little disorganized
but otherwise very interesting.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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22:
“Epi is my favorite class right now. I love the book and Vic
is great.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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23:
“I feel that sometimes the case study questions are convoluted.
Sometimes I am focusing more on figuring out what the question
says than learning the concepts.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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26:
“Overall, I have found this course to be very poorly organized
and discouraging. The workload is far too much, and the plenary
has not contributed in any way to my understanding of the subject.
Other than the help offered by Emily in recitation, I feel
like I'm taking an online course and forced to do much of the
learning on my own. I expected much more from a course offered
in the ##1 public school of Public Health in the country, and
I have been disappointed.”
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(TAeval1,
Classroom course,
)
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31:
“I find myself consistently going back chapters to review. Assimilating
the information without backtrack referencing has been my challenge.
I find myself scrambling to take in all the material and frustrated
that I haven't better retained the information, terms, etc.
I think I have finally found a method - powerpoint first, book
second, case study and any supplemental materials I can work
in.
That said, I am enjoying the challenge and feel I have
learned a lot. I am still determined this is my passion.”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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32:
“Still trying to get the hang of things!! There is much going
on all at once!”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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33:
“I would make the suggestion that group facilitators be assigned
at the beginning of the course. I know that our TA stated in
an email that a"hands-off"approach was taken by instructors
in order to allow group autonomy which is certainly appreciated.
However, in an internet-based class in which the primary form
of communication is email or discussion boards, I think it
takes up too much time to wait for someone to "volunteer"to
faciltate the discussion each week. If we were in a classroom
setting, I believe it would be much easier, as communication
would be in real-time, but the structure of the course is such
that it would be a lot easier to have this set up at the beginning
in order to avoid wasting valuable time trying to figure out
who is responsible for a certain topic.”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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34:
“I love this course. What an incredible combination - a professor
who is knowledgeable, engaging (even at a distance!), passionate
about epidemiology, and clearly a dedicated and compassionate
teacher AND a well written and interesting epidemiology textbook.
I am so impressed by the level of engagement and organization
and the quality of the course materials and integrated web
technologies. I think this course is a tremendous example of
successful online teaching. Look forward to the rest of the
course!!”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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35:
“My only suggestion is that i don't like how the wednesday live
meetings take a few days to get posted. By Friday, i am already
reading the course material for the following week/topic as
individual case answers are due on that monday. My suggestion
would be to make the individual answers and group answers to
case studies both due on thursdays so that we can stay on 1
topic for the entire week instead of merging the two together.”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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36:
“It is like learning a new language! You know the intent, but
you just don't know how to translate it.”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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37:
“Spend a bit more time in the beginning explaining how the case
studies work and what is optional, beneficial, and not optional.”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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38:
“I think the instuctions for the module should be posted under
the instructions section of the class materials. Other wise
it is too confusing as to what are the expectations for the
class module. Please make the instructions to the class easy
to follow.. Overall the course is very interesting and engaging.
/”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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39:
“This course structure is pretty confusing - it took a couple
of weeks for me to figure out how it works (and I think others
felt the same way). I think that there should be a complete
syllabus, not just a schedule, and the class should get it
further in advance. Some of this seems unnecessarily complicated
(e.g. submitting starred vs. non-starred questions, which questions
we're supposed to be discussing on the discussion board), but
then I'm old - maybe the kids today are more used to hunting
and pecking to find out what they're supposed to be doing in
a class. Also, Vic is helpful and does a good job conveying
complicated concepts.”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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40:
“I appreciate Jin being flexible with the timeline so as to
facilitate my online learning experience.”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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41:
“The course has certainly made me think more critically than
I have before about Epi. It took me a couple weeks to figure
out the schedule and organization on blackboard.”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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42:
“This course is TOUGH but worth it - lots of reading, hard work,
and double-checking -- but an insanely interesting topic and
a great TA and professor!”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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45:
“I think the format is fantastic. I appreciate the a la carte
approach and the more general focus on practical learning rather
than on memorizing facts. The case studies are a really effective
way of learning.”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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46:
“I'm truly enjoying this course. I appreciate the many resources
available to us and the opportunities we have for individual
and group support. I think Prof Schoenbach is a great professor
and I appreciate the blend of thoughtful discussion and analysis
of concepts and issues. The text and lecture slides are very
clear, and I feel the case studies are a good way for us to
test our understanding. My growing understanding of the basics
of Epi is helping me in my other public health courses. The
only problem I'm experiencing is that about a fourth of my
group does not participate in the live discussion sections
or on the discussion board. If part of our grade is judged
by other members in our group, I'm concerned about these individuals'
impact on my grade. But that's a matter that I plan on discussing
with my TA.”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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______________________________
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47:
“The only thing I did not like is how the online modules started
on Friday. It made any weekend planning difficult. Most other
courses I have taken, modules run Tuesday through Monday, so
weekends can be used for wrapping up modules or working ahead
if possible.”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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48:
“I like that I can see the course and the slides next to each
other, is a very elegant and efficient way to successfully
take an online class. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount
of concepts we have to digest, it seems a week is not enough
from one chapter to another especially when you have other
classes/work going on.”
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(TAeval1,
Internet course,
)
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(An additional 12 comments were received but the students did not
authorize their dissemination.)
2011cd,
compiled 10/03/2011 |